Vamps of Gangland
by RLD Flame-point Callie-co
Summary: Vampire Assassin Rule #1: Never fall in love with your target, especially if she's human. Edward breaks that rule after meeting Bella, but their romance turns dangerous when his worst enemy comes back for revenge. ExB, Mobward,Vampward...you get the idea.
1. Prologue: Who's That Girl?

**A/N: as you've probably gathered from the summary, our favorite vampires are criminals in this story (I know, it kills me to see them like this, too). Please don't hate me too bad for this, it's just a crazy idea I had, and I think it's a different approach to Twilight fanfiction. Since this is the first time I've deviated from canon, please review and tell me how I'm doing. As usual, I don't expect many people will (most people don't like to review my stories much, for some reason) but at least you can't say I don't try. Also, I think I should warn you that this story contains violence and some drug use. **

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Twilight, and just in case anyone has done something like this before, let me assure you I have not copied any other fanfics.**

Underline: emphasis & book/movie titles

_Italics: thoughts (always the narrator's unless I'm writing Edward's POV; then it could be thoughts he's hearing from other people)_

**Bold: A/Ns and POV change**

ALL CAPS: SHOUTING

_**Prologue: Who's That Girl?**_

**POV: Emmett**

Although I didn't need the oxygen, I sucked in a bunch of air just so I could blow it out in a loud sigh. This was taking forever. I knew the guy I was waiting to meet had never been here before, but how hard is it to find your way to a club, for crying out loud?

Finally, the black Jaguar pulled into the parking lot, and a nervous-looking twenty-something stepped out, shooting panicky glances everywhere. When he got to the club's entrance, I called in a low voice, "Hey, over here."

"Who are you? I thought I was meeting Jasper…"

I had to laugh at that. "Jasper doesn't meet anyone; not when he can avoid it, anyway. Besides, you don't need to see him to settle this. Do you have the money or not?"

The guy's face turned a few shades paler; if he didn't owe so much, and weren't so bad about not paying up, I'd feel sorry for him. As it was, I needed to teach him a lesson. I held up a hand to cut off his stammered explanation of why he was late, again. "All right, look, Johnson. We've been patient so far, but this crap ends now. Luckily for you we need you alive, at least until you cough up that money. In the meantime, though, I'm going to have to impress on you the importance of paying your bills on time."

With that, I gave him the lightest possible punch to the gut (well, light for a vampire; for a human, it was enough to make him double up, gasping). I grabbed his shoulder and shoved him head-first into the side of the nearest car (hey, it was a lot easier on his head than my fist would have been). He crumpled to the ground, unconscious. I pulled my phone out to call 911 and get an ambulance to pick him up when I heard a gasp behind me, coming from the club's open door.

I looked over my shoulder and saw a wide-eyed girl staring at me, and from her look, I could tell that she had seen me beat up Mr. Deadbeat. Before I could do more than turn my body toward her, she had darted back into the club; she was fast for a human. I swore; since she had seen me taking care of business, she had to be shut up, but there was no way I could do anything to her in a crowded club. There was only one thing to do – wait for her to come out, and make my move if she was alone.

_Oh, dammit. _After two hours of sitting on the roof watching the club's doors, my little witness had exited – with three friends and their boyfriends in tow. I couldn't get to her with all of them around; the body count would be conspicuously high, and that was unacceptable.

I used my phone to take a picture of the girl, then dialed the boss. He wouldn't be happy about this, but he was the only one who could decide what to do now. "Hello, Emmett. Did our friend pay up, or did you have to get rough with him?"

"The latter, and there's a problem- some girl saw me administering the beat-down."

"You took care of her, didn't you?"

"Couldn't. She wasn't alone."

Jasper sighed. "Did you at least get a visual on this girl?"

"Of course."

"Well then, we'll just hand this problem over to the man who normally deals with things like this; he hasn't had enough to do lately. Go ahead and give him a call."

I shook my head as I hung up. Typical Jasper: he ran the operation brilliantly, but he never did any work when he could delegate. _Whatever floats his boat. I just hope our best assassin can clean up this mess quickly. _

He answered on the first ring. "Hello?"

"We have a situation at home. Are you available now?"

"Most definitely; San Francisco is not exactly my favorite city in the world."

I had to laugh at his dry tone. "I guess not. I'm sending the info for your next job to your phone now. See you soon, Edward."


	2. Takin' Care of Business

**A/N: It's the same day as the prologue, but two hours earlier.**

_**Chapter 1: Takin' Care of Business**_

**POV: Edward**

_I really should act annoyed that I don't know where we're going._ The truth was, I didn't mind that my friends hadn't filled me in on the specifics of our job yet; truth be told, it was a treat just to have a real job. Of course, I understood why Jasper had insisted that I take point on the last two eliminations our organization required, but still… white collar criminals. My talents had been wasted on those two bumbling humans. Even if tonight's hit wasn't really my job, at least I would get some action; nevertheless, I shouldn't let my friends think me too eager to be here. I mustered my most bored, annoyed tone and asked, "Where exactly did you say we are going?"

Victoria's long red braid flipped over her shoulder as she twisted her head around to grin at me. "I didn't say where we're going. All you need to know is that we're after some drug dealer, and he's a vampire. That explains why the police haven't been able to catch him." She giggled at the idea of policemen apprehending a vampire.

James rolled his eyes at her. "Vic, would you please at least give a semblance of taking our job seriously?"

"I'm sorry, but it's so funny. I mean, what kind of vampire spends his time selling coke to kids?"

"The kind that likes money, I suppose," James snapped. "Now quit laughing about it. Gangster jokes are not exactly tactful, considering our present company." He took one hand off the steering wheel and gave me a sarcastic salute.

I scowled back at him. I liked James and Victoria – they were the closest I had ever come to making friends with vampires I didn't share employment with – but their jibes about my career choices got irritating after the fiftieth time. "I am not a gangster, James. I'm an assassin. My employers are gangsters, not me."

"And that's why we still talk to you, Edward."

I nodded and shifted in my seat to stare out the window. The real reason James and Victoria talked to me was the same reason an engineer would talk to another engineer: we were in the same line of business. The only difference was that I worked more or less exclusively for Jasper and company, while Victoria and James were freelancers. They simply had no patience for the complexity of organized crime; they were in this business for the sheer challenge of it.

I was jolted out of my mental comparison/contrast by James parking the car and announcing that we had arrived at our destination. As we disembarked, Victoria raised her eyebrows and said, "Hey, James, you do know it's illegal to park in front of a fire hydrant, don't you?"

He glanced disbelievingly at her. "Don't worry, I'm sure we will have finished killing the one our client wants to be rid of before the police give us a parking ticket."

"Who is this client of yours, anyway?" Not that it mattered to me, but I was curious.

"His name is Burt Hubert, and he wants revenge on this man for selling crack to his dear daughter. He tried going to the police, but of course they could do nothing; so, Mr. Hubert was forced to get creative, which brings us here."

We found our target lounging against a burned-out streetlight, though he straightened up when he caught our scent. "Hey there," he called. "I would ask what I could hook you up with, 'cept I can tell you ain't lookin' for the same thing as most of the kids who come my way."

"That's correct; we're here because of one of those kids," Victoria said coldly. "Does the name Jenna Hubert ring any bells for you?"

Our target cocked his head. "Yeah, I know a Jenna Hubert. Cute kid. Didn't care for her tight-ass old man much. What about her?"

"Her 'tight-ass old man' is not too thrilled that you have turned his daughter into a drug addict," James said, giving the target a look that would freeze water.

"Hey, I didn't turn the girl into anything; copping from me was her choice."

James's smile turned a few degrees icier. "Be that as it may, Mr. Hubert seems to hold the opinion that you should suffer some consequences for your role in his daughter's addiction, and he has paid me and my partners very generously to mete out those consequences."

Finally grasping that he was in danger, the target slid to the side- then slammed a fist into the steel pole supporting the streetlight, which split on impact and fell. Victoria jumped out of the way and James caught the pole before it hit and cracked the street. "Blast it, he's gone!"

I sniffed the air, catching his scent. "He went to the right, down that alley." I charged after him, but Victoria stayed with James, helping him with the fifty-five-foot streetlight. _That's right, help your boyfriend. As if he needed her help. If I ever get that stupid over someone, just incinerate me. _

The target had shoved a dumpster into the middle of the alley in a pointless attempt to slow me down. _Perfect._ Hearing the target at the other end of the alley, I jumped onto the dumpster and used it as a springboard. The resulting leap landed me right on top of the target. He threw me off and lunged at me, snarling. His nails grazed my cheek and I jumped backward, away from his next punch.

He kept coming, as if trying to escape again had not occurred to him. He aimed a kick at me, but I dodged it and seized his ankle, causing him to lose his balance and crash to the pavement. James and Victoria joined me and helped to subdue the other vampire, who was still snapping and punching, though it was obvious the fight was lost.

Victoria provided the lighter for the target's funeral pyre. "That was exciting," James said, a note of satisfaction in his voice. I sighed; if a job could be carried out without catching the attention of humans, I was happy. James, on the other hand, always felt let down if there wasn't a knock-down drag-out fistfight involved.

"Really," James persisted, nudging the target's pile of ashes with the toe of his tennis shoe, "he put up a terrific fight, but… why didn't he get away from us when he had the chance? Did either of you think there was something a little off about him?"

Victoria shrugged. "Probably just a junkie; in this day and age, there's no telling what even vampires can find to get high on, especially the ones that routinely deal with drugs. That's why I called Edward, just in case we met a real live one this time."

"Good thinking." James kicked at the ground, scattering the ashes.

"Let's go see Hubert about our payment. I'd say we earned it, wouldn't you, Edward?"

"Certainly."

Burt Hubert lived in a large house in the most well-to-do of the San Francisco neighborhoods. He seemed anxious as he greeted James and Victoria, and downright unnerved when he saw me. "Who is this?" he demanded as I stepped inside his house.

"This is Edward, a friend of ours. He doesn't usually work with us, but he helped out on this job; we'll be splitting the money with him."

"You don't need to do that…" I began; after all, my regular job paid more than I needed, but as usual they ignored me.

"We take cash," Victoria informed Hubert. He nodded, wiping sweat off his forehead, and fetched his wallet.

"So what are we going to do for the rest of the night?" James asked.

Victoria jerked her shoulder in a 'whatever' gesture. "We could hang out in a bar, I suppose."

"No, we couldn't," James snapped. "In case you haven't noticed, we're in San Francisco, Vic. It would cause a few raised eyebrows if a guy and a girl went into a bar together in this town."

Victoria laughed. "Oh, that's right." _Maybe James and __Edward__ should go hang out in a bar together; wouldn't that be hilarious?_

"No, Victoria, that would not be hilarious," I said quickly. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

James looked back and forth from her to me, puzzled. "You do not want to know," I said through my teeth.

James opened his mouth to insist that I tell him what went through Victoria's mind, but before he could get the words out, I felt my phone vibrate in my shirt pocket. I pulled it out and answered before the first ring was over. "Hello?"

It was Emmett. "We have a situation at home. Are you available now?"

"Most definitely; San Francisco is not exactly my favorite city in the world."

Emmett chuckled at that. "I guess not. I'm sending the info for your next job to your phone now. See you soon, Edward."

I hung up and saw James and Victoria staring at me over the backs of their seats. "'We have a situation at home'? What are you guys, the CIA now?" James asked incredulously.

"My organization doesn't have initials," I said impatiently. "And they need me to get back to Vegas right away. Could you give me a ride to the airport, or should I run?"

"We can give you a ride, but seriously, you're rushing back just because of one phone call? I swear, Edward, it's a good thing you don't need oxygen or you'd choke on the leash Jasper keeps you on."

"Lay off Jasper. He is a bit of a control freak, but only because he hates it when things go wrong, which they never do when everyone listens to him and does their job correctly."

"Obviously things go wrong sometimes, or they'd have no need to keep someone like you on the payroll."

"Of course things go wrong; that's the problem with brilliant plans – less-than-brilliant people."

My phone vibrated, signaling that it was downloading a new image file. _This must be the info Emmett mentioned. _I opened the file and found a picture of a group of people, late teens or early twenties, from the look of them, leaving a club. The focus was on a slim, pale brunette whose smile seemed a fraction less genuine than her companions'; it was taut and strained. _I know her kind of smile; it's the kind criminals have when they're nervous about being out in the open. She must be my new target; she's obviously some sort of competition who has managed to annoy Jasper._

As I came to this conclusion, I felt a strange tingle of skepticism in the back of my brain- this girl did not look the type to fraternize with criminals; if anything, she looked like a college student. The group she was with was certainly on the up-and-up; no underworld gang could look as carefree and silly as the ones in the picture did. _So, what is a… whatever she is doing with those idiots? _

"Is everything all right, Edward?"

"Of course, why do you ask?"

"When you opened the picture Emmett sent to your phone, your eyebrows kind of crinkled up. If I didn't know better, I'd say you actually had an expression on your face; but you don't do that, do you?"

"I am perfectly capable of making facial expressions, particularly when I am being teased by obnoxious redheads." I gave her the fiercest glare I could muster. Any human would have been terrified; Victoria merely smiled wider and jerked the car over to the curb.

"Here's the airport; I think you get out here," she said. "We'll see you the next time Jasper lets you off the reservation."

"Thank you for helping us out on such short notice," James added.

I nodded. "It was my pleasure."

I went into the airport to inquire about my options for getting home at 12:17 a.m. The woman at the customer service desk pulled up the records of the airline's transactions with my credit card. "I see you already have a flight booked for 5:00 p.m. tomorrow; are you sure you can't wait until then, sir?" _If he's just finished with some business early, I can think of a few ways he could use the spare time. Not a very professional attitude, I know, but this guy is __hot__._

I had to work to keep a grimace off my face when I heard this thought; the woman was not very attractive, and the idea of me having any sort of romantic liaison with a human was ludicrous. Honestly, I had never even met a female of my own species that I wanted; even if I didn't exactly know what I was looking for in a mate, how could I possibly find it in a human?

Forcing those pointless thoughts to the back of my mind, I arranged my face into a pleasant smile and politely insisted that I could not wait for the 5:00 flight. "Oh, well, if you're sure, there's always the red eye; not too many people on that one. Shall I book it for you?"

"Yes, please."

As soon as I had my ticket, I headed to the deserted bathroom and checked my eyes in the mirror; they were coal-black. _Damn._ From the moment I had entered the airport and collided with the scent of humans, I had been trying to convince myself that I wasn't really so thirsty, but here was the irrefutable proof. There was no way I could make it through the entire flight without biting one of the other passengers. _I suppose I have no choice but to resort to the old standby. _

I was not fond of drinking substitutes rather than real blood, but there was no place to hunt in San Francisco, and no time to go anywhere else. The taste was not an issue; this substance was so well synthesized that it would have been entirely indistinguishable from actual blood if it weren't for the side effects. It was those side effects that were an issue. I had never had any desire for intoxicants, not even as a human, but that was precisely what synthetic plasma was if one drank too much of it.

I pulled the little bottle out of the pocket of my jeans and held it up so that the bathroom's fluorescent lights shone through it. The dark red liquid appeared harmless enough, but I had seen what a mess it made of vampires who used it immoderately; substances like this were the reason James and Victoria had deemed it prudent to call in backup before going after a drug dealer vampire. _Still, you have to drink quite a bit before you feel the side effects; more than this, at least. This much should be perfectly safe. _

I unscrewed the bottle cap and drank the fake blood in two swallows. It went down my throat and through my body like an electric current, burning momentarily. I closed my eyes and waited for the feeling to pass. _This is the worst part of feeding on synthetics; even if I don't use enough for the drug to take effect, ingesting the chemical feels strange. _

I took another look in the mirror; my eyes were dark amber now. That was better; not the best, obviously, but I didn't have (or want) any more blood substitute, and I could hunt (finally!) as soon as I got off the plane. For now, this would do. I could make it.

A scratchy voice on the public address system announced that my flight had begun boarding. As I walked to the gate, I pulled my phone out for a last look at my target. _She really doesn't look dangerous; what can she have done to earn a place on my hit list? _I shook the thought off; if Emmett had told me to take care of her, she had obviously done something. My boss did not send me after humans for no good reason.

He also did not give me a time frame for eliminating this human… I could feel my curiosity mounting, and I decided I would watch the girl for a while, find out what her transgression had been. Surely it couldn't hurt; after all, she was only one more insignificant little human… even if her death was postponed a few hours, she could not do much in that time.

I pressed my forehead to the tiny window to watch the night sky and wispy clouds swirling around the plane, satisfied now that I had made my decision. Yes, I would find out everything worth knowing (if there was anything worth knowing) about this human girl… and then I would kill her. _Enjoy your last night on Earth, little girl, _I thought, my mouth twisting into a cold smile.

**I hope you enjoyed that. If you've read this far, I'm ****pretty**** sure you have time to write a review, so please do. If you have any questions, I will answer to the best of my ability (unless doing so would give away the end). If you don't like what you've read, feel free to leave uncomplimentary reviews, but no flames please. If you ****really**** need to flame me (and I expect some of you will since I've made the good guys into bad guys) please get it all off your chest at once and then don't do so again. **

**Also, thanks to Hurricane Ike, my electricity and Internet reception might be knocked out, or the computer may be unplugged this weekend. If you send me a message and I don't respond, that's why; I am ****not**** being rude. Thanks for your understanding, and for reading. **


	3. Extraordinary Girl

**A/N: This is the first time I switch POV in the middle of the chapter. I really hope I succeeded in making it sound like two different people, but I'm not sure how well I did. I also need to apologize in advance to MySpace users, since there is some vehement MySpace blasting in this chapter; sorry guys. **

_**Chapter 2: Extraordinary Girl**_

**POV: Edward**

By the time I was out of the airport and in my Volvo, I had already fine-tuned my plan for finding the target. Since Emmett was the one who had put me onto her, obviously I had to ask him which club she had been leaving. Once I knew where she had been last night, I could ask around the club, see if a bartender or waiter remembered seeing her.

My phone beeped; I had a new message. _Probably Emmett or Jasper checking up on me. I suppose I should return the call, let them know I'm back in Nevada. _I hit redial, and Jasper answered. "Hello, Edward. Did you enjoy your trip to California?"

_Since when does he care if I enjoyed my trip? _"The trip was fine, but I'm back now. If this is about my new job, Emmett already sent me the visual. I need to hunt before I do anything else, but after that I promise the girl will be my first priority."

"Exactly what I wanted to hear; you read my mind."

"I've been known to do that."

"Emmett will meet you in person to discuss your new assignment. Can you be there by 9:00?"

"Nine sounds good. The usual place?"

"As always."

I snapped the phone shut, already rearranging my plans. If I only had two and a half hours to get to downtown Las Vegas, I would have to abandon my plan to go out of town to hunt; I would have to settle for whatever I could get along the road. _It seems that getting a decent meal is not in the cards for me today. _

Even pausing to hunt along the way, I made it to the usual place with ten minutes to spare. I was glad it was the middle of the morning; I did not like visiting O Positive during business hours. Of course, it was an ideal place to spend time if you were one of Jasper's employees, as he owned it; so naturally it was where I met with coworkers such as Emmett. In fact, O Positive was a great place for any vampire; it also happened to be a strip joint, and therein lay my aversion to it.

The front doors were locked up tight, and I wasn't in the mood to break the locks and then have to pay for their replacement, so I slipped in through the fire escape in the back. Emmett was waiting for me in the main part of the club, his mate, Rosalie, wrapped around him. _Oh, fantastic. Well, it's not a _

_huge surprise to see her here, as this __is__ her place of employment. Besides, she may not be my closest friend, but she isn't so bad… for a stripper. _

She and Emmett showed no signs of noticing my presence, as they were somewhat preoccupied, so I cleared my throat loudly. They sprang apart; Emmett looked slightly embarrassed, while Rosalie looked as if she wished I was still in California. _What is __he__ doing here? And why did he have to choose this minute to butt in? _

"Good to see you too, Rosalie," I said sarcastically.

Vampires do not blush, but she managed to look a bit abashed. "Sorry, Edward, it's not that I don't like seeing you, but you did butt in. What are you doing here anyway? We're closed for the day, you know."

"Believe me, closed is the way I like this place. I'm here to see Emmett- we have business to discuss."

"Ah, I see. Is this a top secret meeting, or can I stay?"

I shrugged and sat across from Emmett, who told Rosalie that of course she could stay. Emmett told me the name of the club where he had seen the target and described in detail the people she had been with. "Sorry I don't have more info for you," he said when he was done.

"It doesn't matter; this is enough to go on."

"How can you go on what he told you?" Rosalie asked. "You don't even know the names of these kids."

"I'm sure someone at that club knows at least one of their names; one of them had to pay the bill, after all."

After telling the club's bartender that I was looking for the girl because I had found a diamond bracelet she had lost (and forking over some money to jog his memory), I learned that the funds for the target and her friends' drinks and dinner had come from someone called Mike Newton. "By the way, if you're looking for this girl because you wanna hook up with her, I think you're wasting your time. That Newton guy that paid the bill didn't take his hands off her for more than a minute the whole time they were here."

"I assure you, I only want to return the girl's bracelet."

"That's nice of you to go to all this trouble just to keep some girl from losing her jewelry."

"Not really; I just don't have anything better to do."

I went back to my apartment, turned on the computer, and did an Internet search on Mike Newton. _Of course he has a MySpace page, _I thought scornfully. _Humans! They never realize how incredibly vulnerable they make themselves by posting the minute details of their lives where anyone can get to them. I can't complain, though. MySpace and human incautiousness make my job a hell of a lot easier._ In the days when humans had still tried to keep their private lives private, people like me had spent days trying to find unknown targets; finding Mike Newton's girlfriend had taken less than five minutes.

All of the people Emmett had described were in pictures on Newton's page: Lauren Mallory, Austin Marks, Jessica Stanley and Tyler Crowley, I noted in the periphery of my awareness. They were not the ones I was interested in. They were also not as prominently featured as the one I was interested in. That was logical; they were merely friends, while this (I checked the name under the target's picture) Bella Swan was a romantic partner. _A romantic partner Newton is quite proud to have, apparently. _Newton had posted an inordinate amount of snapshots of himself with the Swan girl, and even some of her without him, as if he were showing her off. _Hmm, I can understand why. _Of course the girl was pretty, but there was more to her than just attractiveness. Even when she was with other humans, presumably her friends, she stood out; there was something in her face, a secretive smile at the corner of her mouth or an unusually knowing glint in her eyes that set her apart from the others of her species.

Finally I turned the computer off. Having seen so many photographs of Isabella Swan, I could recognize her anywhere. I even had an idea of where to begin searching for her, because her boyfriend had put up a list of places he and his friends intended to visit during the vacation trip that had brought them to Las Vegas. From the pictures, I could tell where they had already been, narrowing the list further.

The one thing I could not tell was why I was searching for Swan. Why was she my target? Thanks to everything Newton had said about her, I was now positive that she was not a criminal, or a particularly dangerous person; certainly not dangerous enough that she deserved to be murdered. _And yet Jasper wants her dead. He never gave me a reason for killing her either. Neither did Emmett. I can't put my finger on it, but something is very wrong here._

**POV: Bella**

"Sweetie, are you OK? You've been awfully quiet since we came back to the hotel last night. Bella, are you listening?" Mike tightened his fingers on my shoulder like he wanted to squeeze a response out of me.

"I'm fine, Mike." I twitched my shoulders, trying to get him to loosen his hold. Sometimes I didn't mind how Mike was all over me, but today it was getting on my nerves. "I'm going to Starbucks; I need coffee."

"Do you want me to go with you?" Mike offered. _Oh, for Pete's sake, can't he give me fifteen minutes to myself?! _I shook my head politely. "Here you go, then." Mike held out a ten-dollar bill. I didn't need him to pay for my coffee, but I took the money; after all, it was better than having him follow me to Starbucks like a bodyguard. I didn't need a bodyguard. I had never needed anyone to protect me, and there had never been anything to protect me from.

_Too bad there was no one to protect that poor guy I saw get beat up last night… _I shivered. The image of a man (who made Clark Kent, Peter Parker and Bruce Banner look like wimpy second graders) pounding that guy's head against a car was drilled into my brain. It was the most violent thing I had ever seen that wasn't on a TV or movie theater screen, and it had been haunting me ever since I saw it.

Worse, the muscle-man had seen me. Horrified at what was happening not twenty feet from me, I had gasped out loud, and the man had looked over his shoulder, right at me. He could probably recognize my face if he saw it again. I shuddered at the idea of seeing him again, and at the dreadful certainty that I would. From the look on the man's face when he saw me, I had the impression that he was not happy about my intrusion into… whatever.

I remembered seeing a movie, The Grudge, where a group of ghosts terrorized and killed anyone who went in the house they haunted. It didn't matter if the person only went in the house one time and never did so again; just one time was all it took to get the spooks after you. Now, I could empathize with the characters in that movie. It didn't matter that I only witnessed one little isolated incident; somehow, I just knew that the one incident was part of something bigger, something that I had trespassed on, and that would come to get me one way or the other. Remembering that movie sent chills down my spine. I glanced around as if expecting one of the other pedestrians to be stalking me, then picked up my pace.

The feeling of impending danger didn't let up over the next ten hours; if anything, it intensified. By dinnertime my head was throbbing, my stomach was in knots, and I told my friends to go to dinner without me; I didn't want to eat, and probably couldn't keep anything down if I did. "Are you sure, Bella?"

"Yes, Mike, I'm one hundred percent sure I don't want dinner. If you drag me to the restaurant, I'll just sit there doing origami with my napkin. You don't want to see that; my origami is not pretty."

"Well, if you insist. I'll bring back something in case you get hungry later." I winced at the sound of the door slamming, then pressed my face into my pillow, grateful for the aloneness.

I hadn't told Mike or any of our friends about what I had seen last night, and I certainly hadn't mentioned feeling like someone was after me, mainly because all day I had seen a grand total of zero evidence that there was anyone or anything remotely dangerous around. Still, the feeling persisted.

It wasn't the first time I had had a strong burst of intuition. When I was younger, I had always been able to tell when something major was about to happen, like when my parents would have a really explosive fight, or when I was going to get the one thing I just had to have for my birthday. Most of my friends thought my intuition was weird but cool, and we had all sorts of names for it: 'Sixth Sense moments', and telepathetic (I think that one was from a book).

As we got older, the idea of being pseudo-psychic became silly, and such moments didn't happen as often. When they did, I kept them to myself, and gradually my 'sixth sense' started to fade. Now it was back in magnum force, and I wasn't sure what to do with it. It wasn't like creepy feelings came with an instruction manual, after all.

The pillow had become hot from my breathing into it and now felt stuffy against my face; I shoved it away. Suddenly, the whole room was smothering me, as if the air was too thick to take in. I got off the bed and headed outside. _It's not so hot outside; if I go out, I'll be able to breathe._

I left the hotel and walked aimlessly down the sidewalk. I had no idea where I was going, yet my feet never slowed. It was like there was an invisible hand on my back, pushing me somewhere.

As I passed some café's outdoor tables, a man stood up. "Isabella Swan?" he called. His velvety-soft voice sent a strange shock through every particle of my body, and I turned to look at him before I could stop myself. He was deathly pale, with messed-up reddish-brown hair and eyes that had an odd golden tint. He was staring at me like he was seeing a giraffe walking down the street, eyes wide and mouth slightly open.

_He's kind of cute. I hope he doesn't ask for my number; Mike will be pissed, _a hysterical voice in the back of my mind said. The scattered threads of sixth sense that had been tugging at me all day were coming together, and I knew that even though this man was not the one I had seen last night, he was the one I had been waiting for all day. He was the unnamed danger I had sensed closing in on me. He edged over to the curb; now there was just a mostly empty street between us. I turned and ran.

I couldn't hear him chasing me, but I knew he was. I took the first turn available, hoping I might lose him. _Oh, crap, this is not good._ My evasion attempt had landed me in a dark alleyway straight out of a snuff film, _and now I'm about to star in my own little snuff film, sans camera. _

I glanced back over my shoulder. No sign of the bronze-haired man; maybe I had lost him after all. Before I could turn my eyes forward again, I smacked into something and felt the coldest fingers imaginable lock around my wrists. I turned my head and stared into the face of my pursuer.

His face had the strangest expression, as if he had never seen anything like me before. I had never seen anything like him either, this being my first experience with killers and all. I squeezed my eyes shut; even knowing my death was only seconds away, I didn't want to see it coming, didn't want to see the knife, gun, or whatever weapon would deliver the killing blow.

I felt no pain, only a crushing impact as something hard as steel smashed against the right side of my head. White lights popped behind my eyelids, then blinked out, and I was falling.

**A/N: OK, I didn't intend to make Bella a sort of psychic, but I got the idea from how a vampire's powers are kind of hinted at even when they're human and because I've read way too many books where the characters had ESP. Sorry if you don't like this new twist, (which you may have noticed I changed the summary because of) but I think it makes things more interesting. As always, review or PM me if you have any comments/questions, but if you don't that's ok too. I should tell you, telepathetic is indeed from a book, ****Generation Dead**** by Daniel Waters (I don't own it anymore than I own Twilight, so not at all). I also have to thank my mom for coming up with O Positive; she's a genius. Thanks for reading and I hope you're enjoying the story. **


	4. Deception

**A/N: Here's the update I promised for this weekend. Thanks to everyone who put this on their story alert or favorite story list, me on their author alert list, or wrote reviews for the last chapter; your interest and feedback is very much appreciated. Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 3: Deception**_

**POV: Edward**

I grimaced as I recalled what I had thought about Isabella Swan on the plane home last night, that it was her last night on Earth. That statement turned out to be false because night had fallen, and Swan was, as yet, alive.

Much as it galled me to admit it, the simple truth was that although I knew where to find the girl, I had not gone after her. I could not say why, except that the idea of hunting this girl down and killing her felt very wrong, so much so that imagining it was almost sickening. _Why__ should I feel this way? This girl is nothing to me! Nothing except a target; thinking of her as more than that is __insane__._

Yet I couldn't stop. Rather than doing my job and eliminating the girl, I was sitting at one of the outdoor tables of a generic café by the sidewalk, hoping the chatter of the patrons' mundane minds would wash away the confusion I felt.

Just as I was getting my tangled thoughts in order, they were scattered again by the sharp sound of hurried footsteps. Instinctively, I twisted around to see who was in such a hurry and felt a flash of recognition. It was her- Swan herself. Then came a feeling I had not experienced in several years; not since I became a vampire, in fact. It was the feeling of my brain freezing up. For the first time in decades I, Edward Cullen, had absolutely no idea of what to do next.

My body acted with no help from my paralyzed mind; I stood and called out to the girl. "Isabella Swan?"

In a movement as involuntary as mine, she turned to look at me, and her eyes widened. Most likely she was bothered by the moronic way I was staring at her, but then I saw her expression cloud with, was it fear? And she resumed her original course, only now she had broken into a run.

If I meant to let her go, now would be the time. Since I first came to the conclusion that killing Swan was not the right thing to do, I had been toying with the idea of doing just that. I could have simply not looked for her; after all, she was only one girl. There was a chance Jasper would have forgotten about her. I had actually settled on that course of action- until I saw her.

The strange magnetism I had sensed emanating from her when I was merely seeing her picture was a thousand times stronger when I saw her in person. I really had no choice; I left the café's table and followed the girl.

In her desperation to evade me, she foolishly took the first turn available and found herself in a dark and apparently deserted alleyway. In some corner of my mind, I was disappointed that she had 

done something so predictable. _Well, she is only human and panicked; I suppose too much cannot be expected of her. _

My brain unfroze enough to tell me to end this chase quickly; if I did not, there was a very good chance Swan might scream for help, and I could not be certain that there was no one to hear her. As she ran, she glanced over her shoulder to see if I was still behind her. Before she could see me, I shot past her to the opposite end of the alley.

Not seeing me, she evidently thought she had outrun me and tried to slow down; unfortunately for her momentum kept her going, and she crashed into me. I seized her wrists, whether to stop her from losing her balance or to stop her from running again I couldn't say.

Swan turned her head and stared into my face with a look of abject terror. I had no idea what sort of look she saw there, though I could confidently guess I looked confused; everything had happened so quickly that even my mind was having trouble keeping up. Also, I had decided earlier not to murder Swan, and now that she was here I could hardly let her go, but I had no plan for what to do with her.

She squeezed her eyes shut, as if she were preparing to scream. _If she screams, someone just might hear her and investigate- that would be unacceptable. I need to stop her before she gets any sound out._ Unlocking my left hand from her wrist, I slammed my fist into the side of her head. My fist was not exactly the hardest thing in the world, but thanks to my vampire strength the punch knocked Swan senseless.

Her eyelids popped open long enough for me to see that her eyes had rolled back in her head, then shut again as her body went limp. I pulled her close, supporting her dead weight with one arm while feeling the spot I had punched with the other hand. My knuckles had broken her skin; I could feel and smell the blood leaking from the cut on her temple and seeping through her hair, though her hair was sufficiently dark that I could not see it. _How fortunate for her that I'm not thirsty. _

A new plan took shape in my head; Jasper wanted to see Swan dead, and making him believe that she was would throw him off her trail. This was necessary because I knew now that there was no possibility of me killing her, nor did I want anyone else to.

Although I had not even been aware of her existence twenty-four hours ago, had not even laid eyes on her until five minutes ago, I already felt connected to her, as if she and I were puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly. I had never felt such an attachment to anyone else, and certainly not so soon. I was utterly at a loss to explain it, even to myself; all I knew was that I had to protect her, whatever the cost.

So I would trick Jasper into thinking I had killed her. I laid her down on the street, letting her head loll to the side as a typical corpse's would. When I was sure her lifeless pose looked authentic, I pulled out my phone, took her picture, and sent it to Jasper with a message telling him the girl was no longer a problem. _There, now he won't be after her anymore; he also won't bother me about her again. _

With Jasper taken care of, it was time to take care of Swan. I carefully lifted her off the street and ran with her back to my apartment. _If Swan was conscious, she might not be very impressed with this place. _The part of town I lived in did not completely deserve to be called a slum, but it was close, given the amount of graffiti on the buildings and the frequency with which the utilities in those buildings were faulty or not working at all.

All of the friends I had ever brought here were surprised that I chose to live in such a place, but I told them I picked it because I needed nothing more than a place to keep my material possessions; obviously I ate elsewhere, and I never needed to sleep. I had certainly never needed a place to take a girl, much less one who had been marked for death by my boss.

Of course, none of my neighbors were out; even if they had been, they would not have cared enough to wonder why I was carrying an unconscious girl or what I intended to do with her. That was the real reason I lived here, the one I never told my friends; in a place like this, everyone was too concerned with their own problems to poke their noses into their neighbors' business.

When I first moved into this apartment, I had discarded most of the furniture left by the previous tenant; one piece I had kept was slightly rusty bed, because somehow I had never found the time to haul it to the municipal garbage dump.

Now I deposited Isabella Swan on the bed and sat on its edge, watching her and waiting for her to awaken. There were a few times when I thought she was close to waking up, but each time she merely mumbled incoherently for a moment and twitched into a different position. I sighed. _This is going to be a long night._


	5. Morning After

**A/N: While reading this chapter you have to keep in mind that most of it is narrated by a Bella who's recently sustained head trauma, so if she seems a little incoherent or scatterbrained, that's why. I hope I haven't moved things along too quickly, but there's a certain Bella/Edward conversation in here that needed to happen sometime, which hopefully will explain why he's going out of his way to help her, and I didn't want to drag it out longer. Please tell me if this chapter feels too rushed.**

_**Chapter 4: Morning After**_

**POV: Bella**

Waking up didn't usually take this long. It also wasn't usually accompanied by a painful throbbing in the side of my head. _Ugh. I feel like I hit my head on a cinderblock. When did I run into a cinderblock? _

I forced my eyes open and found myself staring at a ceiling that did not match the one in the hotel room I was staying in. _That's right, I left the room… it was too hot… I ran into some dark alley… what did I do that for? _I forced my battered-feeling brain to give me a complete replay of last night.

_Oh, right, I ran into the alley because that guy was chasing me… and he caught me! _The memory of his hands capturing my arms was sharp as a paper cut. But if he had caught me last night, why was I waking up this morning? I had expected him to kill me. _Well, maybe he didn't. That would explain the waking-up-part. _

Having established that I was alive but not in my hotel, I decided I should try to get up and see where I was, provided that moving my head didn't cause me to puke on myself. _I should probably start off small; just turn my head or something. _I turned my head to the left, and what I saw nearly made my heart stop.

The man who had chased me into the alley last night was sitting beside me now, watching me. When I looked at him, his mouth twisted into a gorgeous crooked smile. _Someone who gave me such a bad scare shouldn't be so attractive. _"I was beginning to think you would never wake up," he said, and his voice was every bit as appealing as his face- soft, and strangely soothing.

"Um… hi." Not the most brilliant thing to say, I know, especially not to a guy who had knocked me out the night before; but hey, being bonked on the head really hard always makes me a little loopy… at least it did the one other time it had happened. _Focus, Bella. Even if he doesn't look all that dangerous right now, he probably hasn't brought you to… wherever this place is... for chocolate cake. Try to find out where you are at least. _

"This isn't my room at the Venetian. Where am I?"

"The outskirts of Las Vegas," he answered. "The bad part of town, which is approximately three blocks away from the good part of town… if any part of this city can truly be considered 'good'." His expression darkened when he said that.

Somewhere, a little voice in my head was screaming at me, telling me I shouldn't be having a conversation with this guy, because even if he hadn't killed me he had definitely kidnapped me. However, the little voice was instantly pushed to the back of my mind. I just couldn't make myself be afraid, even if I should be.

I mean, it's kind of hard to be afraid of a guy with a great smile, big golden eyes, and a flawless (if unusually pale) face, kidnapper or no. Suddenly I realized I kept calling him 'the guy' in my head because I didn't know his name. "Hey, who are you? Your name, I mean. What is it?"

Amusement flashed across his perfect face. "My name is Edward Cullen. As for who I am… yesterday I could have told you; today I am not completely sure."

"What changed from yesterday to today?"

"I met you. I cannot believe I said that," he muttered.

This conversation was getting more confusing by the second, and now that my head was clearing, the messed-up-ness of the situation was sinking in. "Why did meeting me change who you are? I mean, you haven't even known me for a whole day! And we met because of you chasing me and scaring me half to death, and now I'm here in your place, but I didn't ask to be here, and I wouldn't have let you bring me here if you hadn't knocked me out first… I mean, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?" I sat up and scooted as far away from Edward Cullen as I could without getting off the bed, as I wasn't sure I could stand without getting dizzy just yet (another thing hitting my head does to me).

Edward showed a hint of amusement at my outburst, but then he forced his face back to seriousness and nodded understandingly. "Of course, it's only natural for you to be upset. I'm a bit upset myself, to be honest," he added in an undertone. "You see, Miss Swan, I was not supposed to bring you home with me."

He raised his eyes to mine and gazed intently at me. "I was supposed to kill you," he said quietly.

Part of the fear I had experienced last night came flooding back. "You were going to kill me?" My voice was barely above a whisper; I wondered if he even heard it. He did.

"I did not want to," he admitted, and he was as just as quiet as me. "But it was what I was expected to do." He shook his head slightly as if to clear it. "That is why I brought you here. I realize you probably don't want to be here, but this is the safest place for you. Right now my boss believes that you are dead, that I did what he sent me to do, but if he finds out otherwise…"

I nodded dazedly; things were all falling into place now. "It's because I saw that big guy smash the other guy's head on the car night before last, isn't it? The big guy… he works for the same person as you, right? And when the big guy told the boss about me being there and seeing him, the boss sent you to make sure I never got the chance to tell the police or anyone, didn't he?"

I had taken Edward by surprise again. "How did you know all that?"

"I, er, had a bad feeling after seeing the big guy?" Even if I couldn't manage to be appropriately terrified at being in the same room as my would-be assassin, I still had enough self-preservation instinct to know not to tell him about my Sixth Sense moments. _Although that's actually pretty stupid; here Edward admitted that he'd been sent to __kill__ me, and I'm worried about him asking if I see dead people or something?! I must have a concussion. _

"I see. You had a bad feeling." Edward raised his eyebrows.

I glared defiantly at him. "Well, it was a really strong feeling. You don't believe me?"

"Certainly I believe you. Tell me, Isabella Swan-"

"Bella."

"Fine, Bella, if you prefer that. Tell me, Bella, this feeling you had after your encounter with Emmett-"

"Who's Emmett?"

"The man you have been referring to as 'the big guy'; now please do not interrupt me a third time. Now, have you ever had very strong feelings before now- about what people around you were thinking, or perhaps something you expected to happen in the future- that actually happened?" His golden eyes seemed to smolder with the intensity of his gaze, and I found myself stunned into telling the truth.

"From time to time," I said hesitantly. "I mean, not so much anymore, at least until yesterday. But when I was little I used to be able to guess stuff like what I would get for my birthday or Christmas, and when I started at this new school I figured out really fast who actually liked me and who didn't. I mean, Lauren for instance, she acted friendly at first because I had some novelty value as 'the new girl', but I saw through her a second after she said 'hi'. Hang on, why are you asking me about this? Hey, is something wrong?"

As I talked, his eyes had stopped smoldering and started widening like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. _Why does he always give me this shocked look? I bet he thinks I'm a freak; I hope he doesn't have a lab to stick me in somewhere. _

"Nothing is wrong," he said in a transparently phony attempt at reassurance. "If you would excuse me for a moment." He got off the bed and walked away faster than I could form a response. I drew my knees up and wrapped my arms around them, wondering what I had done wrong and what Edward would do with me when he came back.

**POV: Edward**

I left Bella curled on the bed and hurried outside, needing some time away from her to think. Now I understood my strange attraction to her- I was talented above the vampire norm, and Bella's brain was structured similarly; she had the potential for a special talent.

_It's no wonder I felt drawn to her. _Vampires with extraneous talents could always sense when we were meeting another gifted member of our kind, and occasionally we could sense the potential abilities of humans. However, this was a rare occurrence, as humans' possible powers were so undeveloped and faint. _Bella Swan must have a lot of promise if I knew she was special the moment I saw her; before then, really. _

It was good to know the reason behind Bella's hold on me, but that reason raised as many new problems as it solved. The strong intuition she had described could be indicative of any number of future abilities: clairvoyance, empathy, even telepathy._ Is that normal in a human, or should her talent be more definite by now?_ _If she is a telepath, it might explain the strength of the attraction between us. I've never met anyone, vampire or human, with the same talent as mine; perhaps this is customary when meeting someone else who shares the same gift as oneself. _

In any case, I would have plenty of time to observe Bella Swan and try to find out about her powers; she would have to stay with me for a while so that Jasper could watch her friends and see for himself that she was no longer with them. He had no reason to doubt me, but Jasper never really took anyone's word at face value. Once he was satisfied, perhaps Bella would be able to leave. _Just a few days, possibly a week, and then she will go home and I can resume business as usual. _

**A/N: I've never looked into this before, but I'm thinking it might be a good idea to have a beta on this story. I don't know if anybody would be interested in beta-reading for me, but if you are please let me know.**


	6. Stuck With Me

**A/N: Before picking up the story again, I want to take the time to say thank you thank you thank you for all the great reviews I got for the last chapter, and to all the people who added this to their favorites list; your interest and support means a lot to me, and I wish I could give you all cookies.**

**After spending so much time on Edward's thoughts about Bella and his instant attraction to her, I decided I really needed to put a bit in about how she feels toward him, and explaining her reasons for those feelings. Unfortunately that doesn't allow for a lot of action in this chapter, but I think it's important, because if you don't know what Bella's thinking now, the things she does later might not make sense. Now without further ado, let's see how Bella's coping with having a new roommate. **

_**Chapter 5: Stuck With Me**_

**POV: Bella**

It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I'd been living on my own since starting college because the idea of having to share my personal space with a roommate was a little horrifying, and I had certainly never roomed with a guy before- not even Mike. In the first place, my parents would have a fit if I did (which would be the first thing they'd agreed on in fifteen years; I'd seriously considered telling them I was moving in with Mike just so I could see that).

The other reason was that I'd always thought of men as being inconsiderate, slob-like creatures who left dirty socks everywhere (my dad Charlie had done a lot to fix that impression in my head during my formative years; probably so I wouldn't go live with my boyfriend when I was old enough to have one). Anyway, given all my preconceived notions about roommates, particularly male ones, I had fully expected to be miserable or at least very uncomfortable with staying at Edward's place; however, it really wasn't awful at all.

Edward's place was completely mess free- no dirty socks, no towering stack of pizza boxes, no beer cans leaving sticky rings on the tables. Also, he was the least inconsiderate person I'd ever met. After he had abruptly run out on me, he came back with doughnuts. I was a little surprised that he made it back so fast, but hey, maybe there was a doughnut shop right around the corner. _Yeah right, no one could keep a shop open in this neighborhood; it's straight out of a gangster movie._

I shook my head; it was obvious I'd spent way too much time with my movie producer stepdad, Phil, when I started assigning genres to the street outside. Now that I thought of it, maybe imagining this like it was a movie I was watching, as opposed to actually happening to me, was what was keeping me from getting too upset.

I mean, I'm not stupid, OK? I knew perfectly well that being kidnapped by a guy who'd been sent to kill me, who now said I had to stay in his apartment because his boss would be watching my friends to be sure I was gone, should have me in a wild panic.

But even though common sense said I should be scared, I wasn't. If I were Jessica or Lauren, I would be ecstatic; either of them would love to be locked up with someone as good-looking as Edward. For me, it was different; his good looks certainly registered with me, but that wasn't what kept me calm and willing to talk to him. For some reason, I felt absolutely safe with him (which, given that he was my would-be assassin, was very strange). _But maybe not. Maybe it makes perfect sense. After all, if he wanted to kill me or hurt me, he could have done it last night. Instead he chose to help me, and he's probably risking a ton of trouble from his boss if the guy ever finds out I'm not dead. And knowing that, he still wants to help me; he is __very__ weird._

Weirdest of all was the way he seemed to know exactly what was on my mind, like when he'd brought me doughnuts before I'd even mentioned being hungry- and the way he had instantly understood when I told him how I'd just known my encounter with, Emmett, was it, would lead to something big. _He understood a little __too__ well… like maybe he could relate? _

I sat bolt upright, thrills and chills coursing through my nerves. Was it possible that I had met someone who was telepathetic like me? If I had, it was way cooler than any movie. I'd spent my whole life around people who thought I was offbeat, weird- cool, but still weird.

The only person who'd ever halfway understood the strange workings of my mind was Charlie; that was why I'd chosen to stay with him after the divorce. But even after eighteen years and one week, he still didn't get me as completely as Edward Cullen had after ten minutes. _Maybe Edward is just like me. Who knows, he could be even weirder. _

If he had the same strange glitch in his head that I did, that might explain why I felt so comfortable with him; I couldn't remember ever feeling so drawn to someone so fast. Come to think of it, that was pretty much how he'd described his feelings towards me. _Yep, we definitely have a lot to talk about when he comes back. I wonder where he ran off to, anyway?_

When Edward did come back, he had somehow managed to bring my stuff from the Venetian. "I thought you might want to change clothes and brush your teeth at some point," he explained with a grin.

"What did you do, break into my room? I mean, it's really thoughtful of you and I appreciate it, but how did you do it?"

He broke eye contact with me, but I read the reluctance there first. I frowned. "Hey, none of that. I already know that you're part of some mafia-type gang that wants to off me, and that you were supposed to be their executioner, but instead you decided to be all heroic and save me. Do you really think it's going to make any difference if I know how you managed to sneak into a hotel room?"

I raised an eyebrow for emphasis, and he chuckled, but it sounded forced. "It might."

I scowled. I had been completely open with him – trusted him – and now he was making it clear that he didn't trust me. "I want to trust you," he said so quietly I almost didn't hear. _So I was right; he's not normal either; in fact, he __is__ weirder than me, if he knows exactly what I thought just then. Only it looks like he's got his weird mind all under control. Hey, he's not that much older than me- maybe in a couple of years I'll be totally in control of this thing, just like him. _

Edward's expression shifted into a hard, bitter smile. "Trust me, Bella; you do not want to be like me."

**A/N: I hope that wasn't too boring; I know it had way less action than previous chapters. Right now, I plan to make the next chapter about Bella's friends' reactions to her disappearance, because I think it would be weird if she vanished and they were just like 'oh well, whatever'; but if you think that would be too dull, and you want me to skip it, tell me. **

**After the great response I got last time I updated, I'm a little nervous about disappointing you guys, so if you have any comments, criticisms or suggestions for improvement I'm more than happy to take them. I promise the action will pick up again soon, if not in the next chapter then in the one after that. **


	7. The Worst Day Ever

**A/N: This chapter is mostly about people reacting to Bella disappearing, like I mentioned at the end of the previous one, but there's some Bella at the end. Since this is kind of a dark story overall, I wanted to do one ****relatively**** funny chapter, and this is it. After this one the action will pick up again, starting with Bella discovering that Edward's a vampire.**

**P.S. - if you're wondering why this chapter has three different titles, it's because I'm using song titles for chapter names, and I happened to think of three that were appropriate for different parts (none of which are long enough that I could in good conscience post them as separate chapters), so I mushed all of them into one. **

_**Chapter 6: The Worst Day Ever/ Another Time Around/ Dear Father**_

**The Worst Day Ever**

**POV: Jessica**

This was turning into, like, the worst vacation ev-er. Everything had been going great until weirdo-Bella pulled a total Houdini on us. Of course, over-protective-boyfriend-Mike had to get all freaky-upset over it. I shook my head. Poor Mike, he really needed to get that girl out of his head; I mean it was way obvious she wasn't that into him.

Seriously, Bella had never been all that 'into' anyone; or if she was, we didn't know about it, since she talked so little. Now that I thought of it, she could have met somebody here and gone off to party with them. It would make perfect sense if she had, even if her only reason was to piss off Mike so he would quit hovering around her like he was her mother, for Pete's sake.

I mean, it was a little creepy, how possessive of her he could be; it was like he was freaking obsessed or something. Honestly, the guy was wrapped so tight around her finger it was surprising his spine wasn't bent. Bella, on the other hand, well, a lot of times she seemed pretty close to indifferent about Mike. She had put up with his pushy protectiveness so far, but I could totally tell she was getting sick of it, and probably of him.

I shook my head and smirked. Mike was wasting his time worrying about her. Nothing bad had happened to Bella, she'd just found somebody else and decided to trade up. And if that left Mike single… usually I'm not much for other girls' leftovers, but hey, Mike was cute, and he'd gotten the hottest new convertible for his birthday… I wondered how long Bella had to be gone before it would be okay to make a play for her obviously-ex-boyfriend.

**POV: Mike**

I couldn't believe this. I was used to Bella doing some weird things, but this was just too much. I had thought something was up last night when she wouldn't come to dinner with the rest of us, but I never imagined she was planning to run out on me.

When I'd first seen that she was gone, I thought she might have been kidnapped or something like that; Vegas can be pretty crazy after all. Then when I came back to the room tonight, I found her stuff gone too. So there was no other explanation; she had ditched me.

I wished I could honestly say I was stunned, but the truth was that I had felt Bella slipping away for a while now. I couldn't say exactly what made me feel that way, just that there was something really missing in her kiss, like she was playacting. I didn't know why Bella wasn't really in love with me, when there was nothing I wouldn't have done for her, nothing I couldn't give her, but she wasn't.

Whatever reasons were behind her distant behavior, the bottom line was that I just couldn't be as surprised as I wished I could be that she'd taken off to be with someone else. So what was I supposed to do? Now that Bella's stuff was gone, I could assume she had her cell phone, but I was pretty sure calling her and begging or demanding that she come back wouldn't do any good. Once Bella made up her mind to do something, she rarely changed it.

_She may not listen to me, but I know someone she has to listen to. _I knew she had complained in the past about me getting her dad to call her for me, but this time I couldn't help it; I just couldn't handle hearing from Bella herself that she'd found someone else she'd rather be with. As I dialed Charlie Swan's number, I was pretty sure I actually heard the flapping sound of my dignity flying out the window. Oh, who was I kidding? I'd never had any dignity when it came to Bella.

**Another Time Around**

**POV: Charlie**

_All right, all right, I'm picking up now. _I hit the Receive Call button just to stop the phone from making that damn annoying buzzing noise; it sounded like a mosquito. As soon as I heard the voice on the other end, I wished I'd checked the Caller ID before answering. _If Mike and Bella've had another difference of opinion, I wish he'd talk it out with her himself instead of trying to get me to play go-between. What does he think this is, second grade?_

I steeled myself for the latest episode of The Bella and Mike Soap Opera. "Hello, Mike," I said, trying to keep the weariness out of my voice.

"Charlie, something's happened with Bella," he said, and I could hear an upset, almost whiny undertone in his voice that was more familiar than I would have liked. _Of course something's happened with Bella, why else would you be calling me at this hour?_

"All right, what is it this time?"

"She left. I don't know why, we didn't have a fight or anything, but she got all her stuff from the hotel and left. I think she must have met some other guy somewhere."

_Hopefully someone who can talk out problems with her himself. _"I'm sorry; I know you must be very upset. What would you like me to do about it?"

"Well, I thought maybe you could give her a call, you know? Just to be sure she's OK, huh?"

I sighed. I had absolute faith in Bella not to run off with some axe-wielding psychopath, but Mike did have a point. "You're right; I will give her a call. Goodbye Mike."

I hung up on him and dialed Bella's cell.

**Dear Father**

**POV: Bella**

I had just finished spitting out toothpaste when I heard Edward calling me. "Your phone is ringing, Bella."

I huffed quietly; I had known this was coming ever since Edward had brought me my stuff. Someone was going to call and demand to know where I was. _Who could it be? Not Jessica or Lauren, Jessica doesn't care enough, and as for Lauren- well, she's probably hoping I'm lying dismembered in a dumpster right now- preferably one outside a restaurant so that food will get in my hair. Austin and Tyler don't have my cell phone number, because Mike always goes crazy when other guys try to call me. _

_My best guess would be Mike himself, except that he probably thinks I left because I'm mad at him, and Mike never has the guts to talk to me himself when I'm mad at him; he always tries to get Charlie or Renee to do it for him. Geez, it's like he thinks we're still in second grade! Anyway, my guess is Charlie; everyone knows I listen to him more than Renee._

Edward knocked on the bathroom door. "Bella, will you please answer your phone?"

I took my phone from Edward and flipped it open without even bothering to check Caller ID. "Hi Dad. No I haven't been kidnapped; I'm completely safe, but I have broken up with Mike."

I heard Dad hesitate on the other end of the line, like he was trying to decide whether to be happy I wasn't with Mike anymore or upset that I was with someone he didn't know. Finally he settled on saying, "Well, Bells, I never did think you and Mike were really cut out for each other, but are you sure it's a good idea to just up and leave all your friends like this?"

I could see I would have to play it up a little to bring Charlie around to my point of view. "My friends? Dad, Lauren tried to electrocute me with a hair-dryer, Jessica-"

"Electrocute you with a hair-dryer? How does that work?"

"It doesn't, but this is Lauren we're talking about, 'member? Anyway, Jessica is like a slightly less evil version of Lauren, Tyler and Austin do whatever the two of them tell them to, and," I had to smirk as I delivered my punch line, "I'm pretty sure Mike asked me to come to Vegas because he wanted to marry me."

I held the phone at arm's-length in anticipation of his reaction, and sure enough I could hear him perfectly when he bellowed, "YOU'RE TOO YOUNG TO GET MARRIED!!"

I snickered as I imagined Charlie putting on his homicidal face, which was an amusing beet-red color. "I quite agree, Dad, which is why Mike and I aren't together anymore. Like you said, he and I just weren't meant to be, right?"

"And you met someone else you like better? You're not going to marry him, are you?!"

_Oh, __crap__. _Yes, I definitely liked Edward better than Mike, and not just because he'd saved my life, but I wasn't about to go into that with my dad. "Dad, no! I don't really know what my deal with him is yet, but I do know that I'd like to get to know him better and I think that'll be easier, you know, away from Mike."

Charlie seemed relieved to hear that I wasn't planning on marrying Edward either. "Oh, well that's… that's good. Knew I could trust you to keep your head on straight. OK, well, you take care of yourself, you hear me?"

I assured Charlie again that I was perfectly fine, and promised that if things went anywhere with me and Edward, I would introduce him to Dad.

_Like that's going to happen. _I would stay with Edward as long as it took for his boss to satisfy himself that I wasn't still around, and then I would leave town as quickly as possible. I sighed; although I would be glad to not have a gang of vicious killers after me anymore, the thought of leaving Edward behind was depressing.

I sat on the toilet, kneading my forehead with my knuckles. _Stop it; thinking that way is stupid. He's only protecting me because… well, come to think of it, he never really said why he's protecting me. The point is he only wants to save my life, not hook up with me. That's a good thing; I haven't known him long enough to hook up with him… but do I want to anyway…? _

I was shaken out of this line of thinking by the sound of Edward clearing his throat loudly. _OH CRAP! Stupid, nosy mind-reader! _

**A/N: There, I think that was funny in comparison to the rest of the story. Except for the prologue, the whole thing has been from Bella and Edward's POV, so please tell me what you think about my way of doing other characters, since I'll most likely do some other perspectives later. Thanks for reading!**


	8. Wide Awake

_**Chapter 7: Wide Awake**_

**POV: Bella**

I rolled onto my stomach and punched the pillow; I could not get to sleep, though I'd been trying for at least two hours. Edward would have been concerned by my sleeplessness if he was here, but he had left at twilight and told me not to expect him back until next morning.

_Oh, be honest with yourself, Bella. _The truth was, if Edward was here he would have nothing to be concerned about: I hadn't had the least bit of trouble getting used to sleeping here, and I was fairly certain that I was only wide awake now because of Edward's absence.

Pitiful as it was, I missed him; it was like I had grown so used to his presence that not having him around bothered me, like his leaving had left a gaping black hole that nothing else could fill. I hadn't realized until now that my feelings for Edward ran so deep. Sure, I knew that he had become just about my favorite person in the world, but I hadn't known until now how hard it was to be without him.

One thing was for sure: until he came back, there was no way I was getting any sleep, which made lying in bed and tangling myself up pretty darn pointless. I extricated my legs from the sheets and began pacing.

I ended up in the area that would have been a kitchen if it were a real room; at least it was where the fridge, oven and cabinets were, and started searching for something to nibble on, just to occupy myself. Yes, dieticians, I know it's a bad idea to eat just out of boredom (or in my case restlessness), but don't worry. I didn't do it very often, and there wasn't even any snack food in the cabinets or fridge, so I couldn't eat anyway.

I slammed a drawer shut in frustration. Every place I could think of that might be used for food storage was completely empty- there wasn't even a single lousy bag of pretzels or popcorn! Of course, the whole time I'd been here, I'd only eaten takeout from the nearest sandwich shop, but I'd assumed that was because, not being here very often, Edward only had junk food in his apartment, and knew I wasn't much for that stuff. I wouldn't have guessed that he had absolutely no food here!

_What kind of nineteen-year-old doesn't even have snack stuff, or beer in the fridge? Actually, I've never seen him eat anything. I guess I just thought… what? _What kind of explanation could there be for someone never eating? I pushed my brain, and from the back of my mind I remembered assuming that Edward had gotten something for himself at the same place he got my meals from.

Now that I had time by myself to closely examine that theory, I realized it didn't hold water. Edward always took a remarkably short time to get my food; no way was he at the deli long enough to eat anything. Also, if he got food for himself at the same place he got mine, why wouldn't he just bring it home and eat with me?

I had to think that would be less awkward than eating by yourself, then bringing your guest her food and sitting there watching her eat. I carefully analyzed all my memories of my time with Edward, and was finally forced to accept that I had never once seen him eat, nor had he left long enough to have eaten elsewhere.

Actually, that wasn't the only weird thing I had noticed about Edward. Another one was, where did he sleep? I knew for a fact that there was only one bed in this apartment, the one I slept in, and the couch was about as comfortable to lie on as a backpack full of potatoes. Sleeping on that couch would be impossible, and I definitely had not offered to share the bed.

Sure, I liked Edward, had a crush on him even, but he hadn't given any indication of similar feelings for me, so crawling into bed with him would have been way out of my comfort zone; plus I had an idea he wouldn't be very comfortable with it either.

That brought me to weird thing number two: I had been here for three whole days, and not once had Edward tried to put any moves on me or anything like that. Don't get me wrong, it's not as if I liked it when guys behaved inappropriately, but I'd learned to expect it a long time ago; it was just something males around my age did.

Yet here I was totally stuck with Edward, and… nothing. I mean, he hadn't even tried to kiss me; in fact he always kept at least a foot of space between us. I could almost think girls weren't his thing, except that sometimes he looked at me a certain way – like he really wished he could get closer to me, but couldn't. It was like he was hung up on some moral code from the Victorian era.

This led to weird thing numero tres: the way he sometimes spoke. He didn't use 'thee's' and 'thou's' or anything like that, but he did use a lot of overly-correct grammar and words that seemed a little out of place coming from a guy his age.

I gave my head a good shake to clear it; all these half-formed questions and suspicions added up to a big pile that made no sense and gave me a headache. Trying to solve them all at once was overwhelming, so I would focus on one at a time. Number one: where did Edward sleep?

The only possibility I could think of (other than the lumpy couch) was the other room of his apartment, the one I'd never been inside. _But when I asked what was in there, he told me it was just a storage area. _Why would he tell me that if it was really his bedroom? It seemed like a stupid thing to lie about. Great, one more thing about Edward Cullen that boggled my mind.

Then a thought crossed my mind that perked me up slightly; Edward had said he wouldn't be back until next morning. There was nothing stopping me from poking around, maybe seeing what was really in that room. I felt my stomach squirm guiltily at the idea, but I suppressed the feeling by reminding myself that he was the one who had brought me here, and the one who had left me all alone, with no specific instructions or requests not to go into the other room.

Surely that meant that just because he hadn't shown me what was inside didn't mean he would be furious if I looked on my own. And to be completely honest, I never had cared much if I ticked off the occasional person here and there; I had usually done whatever I wanted and dealt with the consequences later. I saw no reason to make an exception now. Feeling very sneaky, I tiptoed to the mysterious room's door.

Wouldn't you just know it would be locked? Well, that settled it; thinking about all the weirdness that had surrounded me since I met Edward had put me in a belligerent mood, and finding this door locked had made me determined to get through it, even if I broke both arms in the process. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that.

When I was younger, I'd spent a lot of time with my cousin Max, and he had taught me how to get through almost any lock with a bobby pin. I really had a lot of fun with Cousin Max; it was a shame he'd been sent to reform school in the middle of freshman year. Now seemed like a good time to make use of Max's lessons in lock-picking.

I happened to have several bobby pins in my suitcase, with all my other hair accessories. I picked a pin and set about picking the lock. After a couple minutes' worth of hard concentration and teeth-gritting, the lock popped open with a satisfying click. _Let's see what you've stashed in here, Edward, _I thought as I pushed open the door.

The inside of the room was pitch-black. I groped for a switch, but when I finally found one and flipped it, nothing happened. _What the heck? Do the lights in this room not have bulbs or something? _I flicked the switch a few more times, but no lights came on.

After finding that Edward hadn't even bothered to keep this room's lights working, I would have assumed that there was nothing in here, but my eyes had adjusted enough for me to make out the shape of what looked like a box by the wall. I knelt beside the box and ran my finger over the top, and my fingertip came away dust-free – obviously the box hadn't been left untouched for a long time. The top flap pulled up easily; it wasn't taped shut.

There was absolutely nothing stopping me from opening that box and having a good look at whatever was inside, except the fact that doing so would be a blatant violation of Edward's privacy. I straightened up, heart pounding. 'Keep out of other people's belongings' was a lesson I had had drummed into my head from early childhood (mostly by Renee, who didn't like me playing with her jewelry), so you might say digging through whatever Edward had stored in the box went against the grain.

I nearly lost my nerve, ran out of the room and went back to my futile attempts at falling asleep, but then my stubborn side reasserted itself. I checked the clock one more time: 4:44 a.m. Plenty of time 'til morning. I opened the box and felt inside; my hand ran into something glass, and… bottle-shaped? I pulled the bottle out, but I couldn't see any kind of label – just smooth glass.

I took the bottle out of the lightless storage room for closer inspection. It was half-empty, and the liquid inside was an odd dark-red. _Tomato juice? Why on earth would __tomato juice__ be kept in a locked room? Most people only lock up their liquor, and this stuff is supposed to be refrigerated. It's probably gone bad in that room; I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be this dark. But the bottle's half empty; does Edward actually __drink__ this stuff?_

Curious, I unscrewed the lid, took a whiff- and staggered into the cabinets, retching. Whatever was in this bottle did not smell like any kind of tomato product, but it did smell like something else, something I'd smelled once during an emergency room visit- blood.

The bottle slid out of my suddenly sweating hands and shattered on the floor, spilling the revolting stuff everywhere. Only then did I notice that there was a sharp chemical tang underlying the blood stench. Was this some freaky new kind of street drug? Or, even worse, was it real blood? And if so, from where, or from whom, had it come? About one thing I was absolutely positive: there was something very screwed-up about Edward, and I was going to find out what if it was the last thing I did.

**A/N: You didn't think you could get a whole chapter with no comments from me, did you? Now you know why I went to the trouble of inventing a synthetic blood substitute for vampires to drink- it was all a plot device to help Bella figure out that Edward's a vampire. I hope that isn't cheesy; it was all I could think of.**


	9. She Drives Me Crazy

**A/N: I know you guys are probably anxious to find out the repercussions of Bella's, ah, discovery, but as carolina 81 pointed out, I should spend a little time on Edward's feelings toward her first sorry; but I really think it's something that needs to be done. I have a couple of warnings I need to give you: first, there's a ****tiny**** bit of profanity in this chapter. It's just one word, but I still think I should apologize to anyone who might be offended by it. Second, the end is a bit depressing. There, now my conscience is clear, so on with the story. **

_**Chapter 8: She Drives Me Crazy**_

**POV: Edward**

If any human had seen how fast I was moving tonight, they would have thought I was running from the devil himself. Of course I wasn't. In fact, there was nothing chasing after me; rather, it was as if I were being pulled forward like an iron filing drawn to a magnet.

Bella would be the magnet in that scenario- although I had finally become sufficiently thirsty that synthetic plasma was inadequate and hunting was imperative, leaving Bella behind had been much harder than I could ever have anticipated. I had never felt this sort of anxiety over a job before, which was all that Bella Swan was, or should be, to me. First it had been my job to kill her; now I had made it my job to protect her.

In my line of work, thinking of people as nothing more than assignments kept me focused, kept me from feeling the irritating twinges of hesitation or remorse that came with being a professional killer. I had never intended to think of Bella as anything more than that; yet I did.

She was like no one else, human or vampire, that I had ever met- her mind was fascinating. Her sixth sense, the unusual chemistry of her brain so similar to my own that had first drawn me to her was growing stronger every day.

If she were a vampire, I had absolutely no doubt that she would be an extraordinarily powerful one; perhaps even an extraordinarily powerful human? That idea was ridiculous though; vague memories of my past life told me I had always had an uncanny knack for guessing at the thoughts of others around me, but I had never actually heard them while I was human.

However, experience with my fellow vampires had taught me that one's powers usually became stronger, more focused, when one had urgent need of them. None of us remembered having such a need as humans, but if we had… who could say what a mind like one of ours might be capable of even in human form? After all, vampirism did not make any of us special; it merely intensified talents we already possessed.

Of course Bella was not the first human with potential I had encountered, but there was more to my attraction to her than simple fascination with her possible abilities. Having had the chance to get to know her, I realized that I actually enjoyed her company much more than I had enjoyed anyone's in a very long time. Occasionally I even wondered if I could be developing romantic interest in her, but that was another ridiculous idea.

How could any sort of romance possibly happen between a vampire and a human? It was a commonly held belief that relationships could not work if those involved kept secrets from each other, and I was keeping a huge secret from Bella. I did not like hiding things from her, but what choice did I have?

If she knew what I was, she would either fear or hate me – probably both – and that would make protecting her nearly impossible. Still, knowing that nothing could ever happen between us didn't stop me from wanting to be near her, which kept me running as fast as I could.

By the time I reached my street, my mind was already scanning ahead, trying to pick up something from Bella's. I sensed her mind easily, but I didn't hear any distinct thoughts from her, only a blurry feeling of… what? Tension? Fear, perhaps?

I sped up, needing to be sure she was safe; but at this hour, she was probably asleep and dreaming, and it was possible her dreams were unpleasant. My lips pulled into an involuntary grimace as I imagined the sort of dreams, no, nightmares Bella would be having if only she knew that she had spent the last few days in the company of a vampire. _Most likely, she would be searching for a piece of wood sharp enough to use as a stake. _

The instant I entered my apartment,I checked the bed I had left Bella in - which was empty.

"Want to lie down for a while?" Her voice came from behind me; I turned and saw that she was giving me an intense, suspicious stare.

"What do you mean?"

There was a strange edge to her tone as she answered. "Well, you have been out all night; you must be tired. Besides, I've been using your bed since I came here, so I don't know where you've been sleeping every night. And now that I think about it, I don't know where you eat either, because you sure don't do it around here."

As she spoke, I felt my unused internal organs winding into knots. I had never spent a lot of time in close quarters with a human since my vampirization, so I suppose it was inevitable that one as perceptive as Bella would eventually notice something off about me. I decided finding out how much she knew or had guessed would be the best course of action. "What are you talking about, Bella?"

Her suspicious expression turned to a glare. "Unless of course you just get your meals from the blood bank. Yeah, you weren't counting on me finding all the blood you keep around here, huh? So what do you do with it? I mean do you drink it, or what? Whatever you do with it, it seems really sick!"

I racked my brain for a convincing lie to calm her, but I drew a blank, and Bella guessed what I was doing. "You're going to lie to me, aren't you?! Well, I've had enough; from now on, you TELL ME THE TRUTH!! WHAT ARE YOU?!"

As Bella's temper mounted, the power I had sensed building in her suddenly boiled over with the force of a volcanic eruption. Whatever power she had, the pressure it exerted on my mind made it impossible to concoct any lies; all I could do was answer her question honestly. "I'm a vampire," I admitted, feeling as if the words were being pulled from me.

Bella's mouth had opened, probably so she could shout some more, but she snapped it shut wordlessly as she processed this new revelation. I could feel her mind attempting to reject what she'd heard, insisting that such a thing was not, could not be possible, but her sense of logic told her that every odd thing she had observed in me fit perfectly with the idea of vampires. She shuddered as she was forced to accept the truth she clearly wanted to deny.

I didn't like seeing her so distressed; instinctively I stepped toward her but she drew back, shaking her head. "Stay back," she hissed.

"Bella…"

She buried her face in her hands and dug her fingertips into her forehead. "No, Edward. You being a vampire explains a lot, and I guess it's good that I understand now, but you don't get to dump something like this on me and just expect me to be okay with it! You- you're not even human! HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO FEEL ABOUT THAT?!"

"I wish I could tell you. Even now, I'm not sure how I feel about it."

She glared at me. "Well, that really sucks for you, doesn't it? Still, you've got forever to sort through your issues, don't you? In the meantime, what about me? Being a mind-reader, you must know I'd started to have feelings for you, how frustrated I was when you kept your distance from me, and this is why, isn't it? Because you're a… a vampire and what could you do with a human girl anyway?" _Except maybe bite me._

"Bella, I am not going to hurt you."

"You already have. You knew nothing could ever happen between us, and you went ahead and let me fall for you anyway! You- you- asshole!"

I was stunned. Yes, I had known that Bella's feelings for me went deeper than they should have, but I had thought that by keeping my distance I could put her off, and she would get over it. I had definitely not imagined that finding out that we could never be together would hurt her.

Tears welled in her eyes, and I longed to comfort her, but there was nothing I could do to soothe pain I was the cause of. "Bella, I am… sorrier than I can say. Please, tell me how to make this better." I put a hand on her shoulder, but she jerked away from my touch.

"Can you stop being a vampire?"

"No; the change is permanent."

"Then there's nothing you can do. I'm sorry, Edward, but I need some time to think… to figure out how I'm going to deal with this, or if I even can. I'm leaving." She headed for the door.

"Bella, no, this is not the safest time for you to go out…"

Bella met my eyes with a defiant look. "I don't care. I just can't be around you right now." She hurried to the door and fiddled with the handle; I moved to stop her, cursing myself for letting her get that far in the first place.

Wrenching the door open, Bella turned and her eyes drilled into me. "Don't come after me," she ordered. Her rebuff froze me in place; she hurried out, and I was powerless to stop her.

When she was so far gone that I no longer heard her footsteps, I sank to the floor, my back pressed to the couch and tried to make sense of my chaotic emotions. There was shock at how fast everything had happened and worry over Bella being out in this neighborhood at night, but mostly there was an overwhelming feeling of loss – as if something, perhaps the heart that hadn't beat in so long, had been torn out.

_Why__ did I not stop her from walking away? _Answering that question was the very essence of simplicity: as long as I could remember, I had never cared enough to hold onto anyone, so nearly everyone had eventually walked away from me. When I finally did meet someone I wanted to keep with me, I had no idea how.

_Being depressed over Bella leaving is stupid; she isn't the first person I've pushed out of my life. _Out of my life. I bared my teeth as the pain of that phrase tore through my chest. No, this was not the first time I had let someone leave me – but it was the first time it had hurt.

**A/N: I did warn you this ended badly.**


	10. Runaway

**A/N: I'm aware that the last chapter was not very happy-making, so I'm going to make it up to you by making this one longer and hopefully better. I owe a special thank-you to forevaluvinEdward for getting me to write this quickly, so thanks.**

**WARNING: I said in the beginning this story would have some violence and drug references, and some of that is in this chapter. **

_**Chapter 9: Runaway**_

**POV: Bella**

I fumed all the way down two blocks before I had to stop and catch my breath; when I couldn't keep going any longer I crumpled onto the sidewalk, buried my face against my knees and sobbed until I was literally gasping for air. It wasn't the most mature response, but right then my emotions were just too tangled for me to deal with until I had cried it out.

When I was calmer, I tentatively started trying to cope. The first step was identifying what I felt and why I felt that way. _OK, here goes. Now, what exactly do I feel? _At the top of the list was anger: as I had shouted at Edward, he had known all along that me falling for him was pointless because we couldn't be together, but he had let it happen anyway; now I felt like a moron.

I guess that meant there was betrayal and embarrassment in there too. Arrgh, my feelings were such a mess I couldn't even separate them! This was hopeless! Still, I had to keep trying; after my mom left, I had shied away from my feelings for too long, and that only made dealing with them harder when I finally had to. To make a long story short, I had learned the hard way that running from your problems was a fool's game.

_Don't get sidetracked! Everything that happened with me and Charlie and Renee is ancient history; __Edward__ is what I need to focus on now. Think about how you feel about __him__. _So, the sense of betrayal: that one was a little irrational. I mean, it probably wasn't his fault he was a vampire, assuming one could be made a vampire with or without their consent.

In any case, he had become one way before we met, so it wasn't like his turning into a vamp had anything to do with me when it happened, whenever that was. The real issue was, would I let it – let him – have anything to do with me now?

Did finding out that he was a vampire change how I felt about him? After all, he was still the same person. Sure, the idea of being with a real live vampire was on the creepy side, but there were plenty of humans who found me creepy. I remembered how much that hurt, knowing that I was widely regarded as weird and freaky. Had I inflicted the same pain on Edward?

Furious as I was at him, I still felt a pang of regret for any hurt I might have caused him. Yeah, he'd hurt me pretty bad, but from the look on his face when I told him that – a look appropriate to having been hit in the face with a wrecking ball – I was certain it had been purely unintentional. Even if it hadn't been, did that make it okay to hurt him back? This seemed like a good place to insert that stupid adage about two wrongs not making a right.

I sighed; after I had had a little more time to get control of myself, I most likely would forgive Edward, and tell him so. I should also apologize for calling him an asshole; I hadn't meant to do that. I didn't usually talk to people that way; it just slipped out in the heat of the moment. My stomach twisted as I realized that the fact that Edward had brought out such a strong reaction in me was just another indicator of how strong my feelings for him were.

So here was the crux of the problem: I had fallen in love with Edward Cullen, and nothing- not his show of indifference (which I now knew had been just that, a show) or even his turning out to belong to an entirely separate species, had made me fall out. Under ordinary circumstances the solution would be simple; I would tell the guy how I felt.

These circumstances were far from ordinary. Hadn't he made it clear that a human and a vampire could never work? _Why__ couldn't we, though? Sure we belong to different species, but vampires are similar enough to humans that I never would've figured it out if I hadn't found that blood. It's not like the species difference is as insurmountable as it would be if he was, say, a cat or something. Did I just say 'cat'? Wow, the sleep deprivation is really getting to me._

One thing was for sure, sleeping on this sidewalk was out of the question. I stretched my legs out, trying to unkink my stiff muscles, and climbed unsteadily to my feet. Ugh, I always got dizzy when I got up after sitting for a long time. The fact that the aforementioned sleep deprivation plus crying had given me a headache only made it worse.

The final straw? Now that I was up, I didn't have a clear plan for where I was going to go. I wasn't sure if I was ready to face Edward yet- what if he was angry now and didn't want to see me? Anyway, going back to him right after we'd had a big fight seemed a little pathetic.

But if I wanted to consider a truly pathetic idea, I could always go back to the people I had first come to Vegas with. I nearly laughed out loud as I imagined how they'd react to seeing me again. Lauren and Jessica would be thrilled that I hadn't worked things out with my new guy, naturally. Mike would be thrilled as well, though more in a 'yippee now I can get her back' way than a 'ha-ha I love seeing Bella get the short end of the proverbial stick' way.

_OK, they wouldn't really think that. Lauren doesn't know words like 'proverbial'; it has too many syllables. Anyway, I'm not going back to them. _I wasn't, and not because I was worried about looking foolish. It was more because I just didn't think I'd fit in with them anymore. Honestly, I never really fit in, but I had been able to fake it.

That had changed, and it was obvious what made the difference: Edward. Before I'd met him I had thought that not truly belonging anywhere, always feeling like I was on the fringe of things was just the way it was for me. Now I more or less knew that I had only felt like that because where I belonged was with him.

_Well, this just sucks. Now I have no choice but to go back, even if he is angry at me for cussing at him and then storming out. _I shrugged. I would have gone back to him eventually anyway, so why prolong the inevitable? Like I said before, running away from problems never did any good, so I might as well face the music, as Dad would say, sooner rather than later. I pushed myself off the wall I had leaned against and headed back toward Edward's place.

I was so intent on reaching my destination that I never even noticed the gang lounging around in the shadows of the run-down buildings and puffing on cheap cigarettes until I'd practically walked into the middle of them. "Well well well, what do we got here, boys?" some big lout asked rhetorically, leering at me in a way I did not like.

A thin guy with dark purple circles under his eyes (who looked frighteningly like every picture of the effects of long-term substance abuse I'd ever seen) removed his cancer stick from between two rows of teeth that had stained an unappetizing yellow from exposure to nicotine and who knew what else and answered, "looks to me like we got a li'l girl that don't know she's way outta her part of town, dawg." The rest of the gang laughed at this.

_Oh, __crap__! These guys are obviously stoned, and I've heard people on drugs get crazy. I don't even want to imagine what they're going to do to me; though I probably won't have to imagine for long. _I gulped. Another of the guys staggered closer to me, still chuckling in a way that made me think his brain was completely cooked.

"Well hey cutie, just 'cause we wasn't plannin' on seeing you, don't mean you can't stay an' have a li'l fun with us, right?"

The one with yellow teeth nodded jerkily. "Yeah girlie, if you're lucky you might even be in one piece when we're done with ya. Whatcha say, wanna party?" He grabbed my arm and yanked so that I lost my balance and ended up pressed against his chest; I also got a faceful of his breath, which nearly choked me.

If I didn't get him off me I wouldn't have to worry about being mauled or raped, because I would suffocate first. Luckily, Charlie had made sure I had all the basics of self-defense down by the time I was in junior high. I shoved the guy in the chest, pushing myself away from him, and that extra space was just what I needed to slam my knee into his groin.

He released my arm and folded up, clutching his… you know what I'm talking about and gasping. His friends seemed to find this hilarious. "Hey, this chick is a feisty one. She oughta be fun, huh?"

I did my best to put a show of bravado, but the truth was I didn't like my chances in this fight. Even if my opponents weren't at their best I was still outnumbered six to one, and it was common knowledge that males are stronger than females. _This night has gone from bad to worse to __horrendous__! All I wanted to do was go back and tell Edward I'm sorry, but now __this__ has to happen! __Why__?! Why can't these crack heads just GET OUT OF HERE AND LEAVE ME ALONE?! _

What happened next was off-the-wall creepy even by my standards. The second I thought 'get out of here and leave me alone', my attackers froze, just like… well, just like Edward had frozen when I told him not to come after me as I left. The big one who had first noticed me said, "Hey, maybe we should just get out of here. Y'know, leave the girl alone."

To my astonishment, the others agreed with him. Suddenly a strange and intriguing idea was forming in my head. Earlier tonight I had stopped Edward from chasing after me by forcefully telling him not to, now these thugs too had done exactly what I had mentally directed them to.

Had I somehow made them all do what I wanted? If I had, it was way cool- maybe even cooler than the way Edward heard what people were thinking. After all, what could I have used an ability like his for in this situation, other than getting a vivid picture of what these losers would've done to me?

While I stood there thinking, they had already started getting out of here. I was now unreasonably eager to see if I could control them a second time. _Stop. _They stopped; a little exhilarated laugh bubbled up inside me. Putting as much force into it as I could, I thought, _now go home and quit making a nuisance of yourselves._

I watched as they split up to go to their houses. And why not? Being out in the street had just become a lot safer. When they were out of sight, I turned and, no longer feeling tired, ran back to where I'd left Edward. I really hoped he had stayed there; I had so much more than 'sorry' to tell him now.

It was a pretty safe bet that he heard me the moment I entered his building since I was running and my footsteps clanged loudly on the staircase, but he didn't come to meet me. _Not surprising given the way our last conversation went. Oh, I really hope he isn't too mad at me. I wonder if I could make him stop being mad; but of course I wouldn't do that._

Those gangbangers were one thing – messing with their minds had been done to protect myself (and then for fun, if I was honest) but Edward was an entirely different matter. After all, I loved him, and it didn't feel right to think about controlling the mind of the person I loved.

Of course Edward hadn't bothered to lock his door – why would a vampire be afraid of break-ins? I banged the door open so hard that it bounced off the wall. Edward had been sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, but he got up when he saw me.

"Bella? What on earth are you doing here?" He looked shocked to see me, and I felt bad that he hadn't expected me to come back.

This was going to be awkward. "Okay, first off, let me say I'm really really really sorry for the way I talked to you before. Yeah, my feelings were hurt, but I didn't mean to say those things. Forgive me?" I was careful to think of it as a request, not a command; I wanted things to be okay between us, but I wasn't going to force him to excuse my behavior if he didn't want to.

"Of course I forgive you; everything was my fault, not yours. If I hadn't kept things from you…"

I put my hand over his mouth to stop him. "I get why you did. How do you tell someone you're a vampire, anyway?"

"I'm hardly qualified to answer that question; I never have before. I've never wanted one of your kind to know what I am until now."

I flushed as I remembered that when I had asked him what he was I had definitely demanded an honest answer, so maybe he hadn't wanted to tell me his deep dark secret. "Um, actually, I think you might have to consider the possibility that you didn't want me to know either. You see, something happened while I was outside…"

The recounting of my latest experience stunned Edward again; I seemed to be very good at doing that. _Is he impressed, or is he thinking I'm a freak? _"Of course I don't think you're a freak," he replied absentmindedly.

He was evidently still too focused on what I had told him to realize I hadn't actually asked him that. Still, I was glad he didn't think of me as a freak; I'd had enough of that from other people. Plus, he was a mind-reader and a vampire, so he couldn't really call anyone a freak.

That thought got his attention. "Are you implying something, Bella?" he asked.

"Not at all," I said quickly, trying to sound innocent. In an attempt to distract him I said, "I couldn't help noticing that you don't seem too thrilled about this. Is what I can do bad?"

"Oh no, Bella, no. You haven't done anything wrong, so I don't want you to worry."

"You look worried."

He quickly blanked his expression. "It's nothing," he said with a forced smile. "You should get some rest, Bella; you've had a long night."

I could tell there was something bothering him, but I'd promised myself I wouldn't use my new talent to control him, so I let it pass. Anyway, he was right about it having been a long night. I crawled into the bed I now knew he didn't need and easily fell asleep.

True, the direction our relationship would take was still unresolved, but the biggest problem between us had been dealt with, and for now that would have to be good enough. We could work everything else out later… when I was less exhausted.

**A/N: I hope you aren't getting weirded out by this story; maybe I should have more up-front about this, but it's meant to be a little weird. **

**Issues I think I should say something about:**

**Bella's mind-control – I just made that up because I thought it was cool; there's a bit more to it, but I'll explain that later**

**What Edward was worrying about at the end – you'll find out in the next chapter or the one after that**

**If you have any questions that you don't see the answers to in the lines above this, you know what to do.**


	11. Play With Fire

**A/N: You may remember that I briefly introduced Rosalie and Emmett in the prologue and chapter 3; I did that because they're going to have a bigger part in the story, starting in this chapter. That makes it a good time to tell you: I always thought it was a rip that Rosalie and Emmett didn't have any powers, so in this story they do. There is a reason for that, which will be explained, you guessed it, later.**

**WARNING: though it's not graphic, this chapter does contain sex. **

_**Chapter 10: Play With Fire**_

**POV: Rosalie**

Whoever was on the other end of the phone line could not have picked a worse time to call me. "Emmett, get off me," I muttered, "I need to answer the phone."

"Just let it ring," he suggested, stroking my hair back and nuzzling my throat. I forgot about answering the phone for a moment, but then it went to the machine and I heard Alice's voice. "Rose, I know you heard the phone ring and you just decided to ignore me. Now untangle yourself from Emmett and pick up."

I groaned in protest but pushed on Emmett's chest, and he reluctantly rolled to the other side of my bed, grumbling about how Alice probably had no good reason for interrupting us and was merely trying to be annoying. I knew she wouldn't do anything like that, so I picked up the phone. "What is it, Alice? I think you saw that I was in the middle of something."

"Better than I wanted to, but that's not important. Listen, have you heard anything from Edward lately?"

_Why would I hear anything from Edward? He's the most antisocial vampire I've ever met. _"Of course I haven't; you know as well as I do that he doesn't have anything to do with the rest of us unless it's work or hunting. Although come to think of it, we went hunting last weekend and asked if he wanted to go with us, but he said he'd rather go alone. You haven't seen some kind of trouble ahead for him, have you?"

I bit my lip as I waited for Alice's response. At the time, I had thought nothing of Edward's refusal to join us on the hunt, but it really was strange; even Jasper wasn't that standoffish. And although Edward had irritated me almost from the first second I met him, it wasn't as though I wanted something bad to happen to him.

When he was in a good mood (or what passed as a good mood for him) he could be almost fun, and there was no question that he was useful – the best in the business. In the time since he'd joined us, he had already saved our hides about a dozen times- particularly that time with the werewolves…

Alice put an end to my train of thought by saying, "No, I don't think Edward's in any kind of trouble, but the latest vision I had of him… I just don't understand why he would do that! Him of all people – it doesn't make any sense! What can he be thinking?! I must have seen it wrong, because there's no way-"

"Slow down! Alice, what did you see?!"

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

I was beginning to get worried. "Do you want me to go to his place and see what he's doing?"

"Would you mind? It might make you late for work, you know."

I snorted. "O Positive can get by without me for one night. Besides, if Edward's gotten himself in some kind of fix, I should go help him."

"Um, I don't exactly see him needing help, Rose. But do whatever you want; I just wish I could be there to see what he has to say for himself."

_What on Earth did she see him doing?! _Eager to investigate, I told Alice, "I'm sure you'll see it anyway," clicked the phone off and grabbed my clothes off the floor.

"Are you really skipping work and going to Edward's? Rose, you know unannounced visits piss him off."

"Like you care about pissing off Edward; you're just disappointed you won't get to watch me strip in the club tonight."

I didn't care if he was disappointed; I had just given him a private performance better than anything I did in O Positive. "Rose," Emmett called, "don't annoy Edward too much- you know he can be dangerous."

I looked over my shoulder and smiled. "Don't worry; I can handle Edward Cullen any day of the week." With that, I was off and running.

I didn't even slow as I reached the downwardly mobile neighborhood where (for reasons best known to himself) Edward chose to spend his at-home time. I shook my head in bemusement; he could do much better, though I suspected he had purposefully chosen this off-putting place because there was less chance of anyone coming here to visit him.

When I reached the crummy apartment building Edward stayed in, I used the rickety fire escape to sneak up his window; I was dying to see what Mr. I'm-a-Vampire-and-I'm-Going-to-Treat-it-Like-a-Bad-Thing-Instead-of-Having-Fun-With-it Edward was doing that had shocked Alice so badly. There were plenty of things he could do that would astound me- like extracting his head from his rear and living a little, but Alice was more difficult to surprise.

I knew my thoughts could give me away, but luckily I had learned a little trick for keeping Edward out of my head- if I kept my mind perfectly blank and just visualized a brick wall or something similar, he would never know I was there. It irritated him to no end when I used this trick to sneak up on him, which I often did.

As soon as I peeked in the window, I understood why Alice had said she wished she could be here to see what Edward would have to say for himself, because what he was doing now indisputably demanded an explanation – if there was one! What reason could he possibly have for making time with a HUMAN?!

I could think of no justification for such moronic behavior. We all knew that getting too close to one of them was dangerous, that to do it risked exposure, yet Edward- who I had always perceived as one of the most level-headed of my acquaintances- had brought one home with him!

I didn't have to focus on a brick wall anymore; shock had formed a dam in my head that nothing could get through- not thoughts, not even the subconscious command that would make me move so I could leave.

I wanted to leave – I did not want to stay and watch whatever he did with his human pet, because no matter if he got his teeth in her throat or got in her pants it was very, very wrong. But all I could do was stand frozen and observe.

They seemed to be arguing. "Bella, vampires are very dangerous, and trying to be with one? You have no idea what you are getting yourself into!"

The girl snorted derisively. "What I'm getting myself into? I'm not getting into anything – I'm already into it! Why do you think I came back? It's because I couldn't take being away from you, and I don't want to try. Edward, I love you."

Hearing that broke the dam that had my mind immobilized. _WHAT__?! HE'S A VAMPIRE, SHE'S A HUMAN, AND SHE __LOVES__ HIM?! SHE IS __INSANE__!! _Oops, so much for that wall. I ducked away from the window but it was too late, I knew Edward had heard me and recognized the timbre of my thoughts. And if I knew Edward, which I did, he was extremely unhappy about me spying on him.

I leapt off the fire escape and bolted, but trying to outrun Edward was futile. He caught up to me halfway down the street. Grabbing my arm, he whirled me around, gripped my shoulders and shoved me into the wall of the nasty old warehouse on the other side of the street.

"WHY DID YOU COME HERE, ROSALIE, WHY?" he shouted, punctuating the second 'why' by giving me a shake that snapped my head back and caused my teeth to clack together painfully. Well, I was not putting up with that when he was the one with a human girlfriend.

"You let the hell go of me," I spat, glaring. He only tightened his grip so that his fingernails dug into my skin. His nails were nowhere near as long or sharp as mine of course, but they were still uncomfortably hard. I didn't want to play rough with Edward, but he was asking for it.

I felt the heat in my mind first, and then it travelled through my bloodless veins to my palms and fingertips; in some ways, this warm tingling was the best part of activating my power. The fire never started, because burning Edward was not my objective, but he felt the heat, too. While it was only warm to me, to him it was scorching hot and he released me immediately.

"Edward, have you lost your mind?! That girl is human! What in hell possessed you to take up with someone like her?!"

"You don't know what you are talking about, Rosalie. I have not 'taken up' with her-"

"That's not what it sounded like, or did you not hear her say she loves you?"

"Of course I heard that, but-"

"You don't love her?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair and growled softly in frustration. "I don't know, all right? I am- confused."

This was a new twist in an old snake; I had never seen a situation where Edward was anything other than cool, collected and annoyingly self-assured, but now… now he did look confused, and more than a little stressed out. _Well, that settles it; he __does__ have feelings for her. _

"Do I?" he asked, and it sounded like a question rather than a retort. I opened my mouth to tell him that for someone who heard everyone else's thoughts, he might want to spend a bit more time on his own, but I was interrupted before I could get the words out.

"What's going on here?"

I cursed quietly- I had been so intent on Edward that I hadn't even heard his human approach. She wrapped her arms around herself and stared at Edward as if waiting for him to explain things to her. He sighed. "Bella, your timing really is impeccable."

**POV: Edward**

_Well, that settles it; he __does__ have feelings for her. _The smug tone of Rosalie's thoughts should have annoyed me (as did several things about her) but at that instant I heard something that completely distracted me from Rosalie- the sound of Bella coming after me. She might be quiet and stealthy by human standards, but there was no way I could miss her pounding heart. I could only hope Rosalie was too preoccupied to hear it as well.

As I tried to keep Rosalie distracted I thought, _I really hope Bella has better sense than to let Rosalie know she's here. Given Rosalie's reaction to seeing me with Bella, I wouldn't be surprised if she ripped Bella's spine out. _Unfortunately, as I had noticed the first time I had met Bella and she had run down a deserted alley rather than staying on the crowded street where she would have been safe, Bella did not have particularly good instincts for responding to dangerous situations.

Just as Rosalie was about to start on a long lecture that would have rendered her unaware of everything around her, Bella caught up to us. "What's going on here?" she asked, looking at me as if she wanted me to introduce her to my visitor.

_Damn, that human must really trust Edward to protect her – or she just has a lot of guts. Too bad they're about to get torn out._

I sighed; that was exactly the reaction I expected from Rosalie. "Bella, your timing really is impeccable," I said, unable to keep a slight note of sarcasm from coloring my tone. She picked up on it at once.

"What's wrong? Do you two need to talk privately or something?"

"No, no, stay," Rosalie said, dropping into a predatory crouch. _Sorry, Edward, but considering the heaps of trouble you would have been in when Jasper found out about her, I'm doing you a favor, kid. _

"I never was good at accepting favors," I snarled as I pushed Bella behind me. Rosalie hissed and we sprang at each other. I hated to fight one of the few people who was, if not exactly a friend, at least not an enemy or an object of complete indifference, but I was not going to stand there and watch her kill Bella.

I should have known better. Rosalie's fingertips burst into flame, her power fully activated at last; Bella did not like that at all. "No, don't hurt him! STOP IT!" _I mean it, stop right now. _Of course she meant it, and Rosalie had no choice but to obey her.

As her power was forcibly deactivated, Rosalie stared in disbelief at her flame-less fingertips, then at me. _He can't do that! And it doesn't look like he did, because if he had he'd be smirking at me instead of staring at… but what the hell…?_

I turned away from Bella, but Rosalie had already seen where I was looking – the damage was done. She took in the way Bella's eyes were narrowed in concentration, and comprehension dawned. _THAT __HUMAN__?! Well, at least this somewhat explains why Edward's so interested in her- and he won't be the only one. _

I groaned inwardly; Bella had really done it now. If our previous situation could be considered a frying pan, we had just stepped into a roaring fire.

**A/N: Sorry about the cliffhanger, but it just felt like this is where the chapter ended; plus I wanted to post tonight because I have to go sell football programs at my school's homecoming game tomorrow (no I'm not a cheerleader, but I ****am**** on the yearbook staff, and this is how we raise funds) so I probably won't have much time to write. **

**If you're curious about exactly what Alice saw Edward doing, I might have time tomorrow to write a little bonus piece about it; tell me if you'd like that. In the meantime, I'd be interested to hear your guesses, if you have any. If you don't, I'm happy with just comments, and I need something to keep me going tomorrow- selling football programs is not the fun-est thing in the world.**


	12. Why Not

**A/N: This chapter mostly focuses on Edward and Rosalie discussing what to do about Bella and Jasper, and there's a bit with Alice at the end – sorry there's not more action but this is one of those parts where I think it's important to tell what the characters are thinking. I'm also going to answer a few of the questions I've left in the air from previous chapters, like what had Edward worried after Bella discovered her mind-control, why Rosalie and Emmett have powers, and what was in Alice's vision.**

_**Chapter 11: Why Not**_

**POV: Edward**

Rosalie's complacent smirk was back in place now that she was confident she had unraveled the mystery of my interest in Bella. "So, aren't you going to tell me how you came across this very talented human?"

I sighed; this was not something I was eager to discuss, but it would be idiotic not to go along with Rosalie when she was neither trying to slaughter Bella nor calling Jasper. "Yes, I will tell you everything about how I met Bella; let me take her back inside first."

Bella frowned. "I can take myself back inside," she said a bit petulantly.

I scowled at her. "Humor me." Without waiting for her answer, I slung her over my shoulder and had deposited her on the bed before she had time to protest.

While I took Bella back to the apartment, Rosalie had relocated to the roof. I followed her up and found her standing on the edge, gazing at the downtown city lights with an inscrutable look on her face. Her mind was carefully blanked again, so it provided no more insight into direction of her thoughts than her face. _Well, she will start asking questions when she is ready. _

I joined her on the roof's edge, and after a long moment she turned to me, the wind trailing her long blonde hair across her face. "I just remembered something- I've seen that girl, Bella, before. She's the one Emmett was helping you find a while ago, the one you were supposed to take out. Obviously you didn't do it; why not? Is it because she has this power? And what exactly did she do anyway, block my power somehow?"

"No, she told you to stop; Bella can make anyone obey her mental commands."

"Is that how she stopped you from killing her?"

"She couldn't have. Her talent was undeveloped when I met her; she was not even completely aware of it."

Rosalie pursed her lips as she contemplated this information. "Why didn't you kill her, then? Edward, are you in love with her?"

I froze, the normal vampire response to stress. A week ago I would have scoffed at this question, but now I couldn't. Of course I knew that falling in love with a human was illogical, dangerously so, but I had done it.

Why else would it have crushed me when Bella said she was unsure if she could cope with my being a vampire and left? Why else would I have been so elated when she came back, and why else would I have begun worrying when she told me about her newfound ability, and I had realized the probable consequences of her discovery? Irrational as it was, I did love Bella.

"Edward? Do you love her?"

"Yes… I think so."

Rosalie inhaled sharply and stiffened, as if absorbing an electric shock. After a moment she relaxed and said, "Well, that's good; it'll make it easier for her to adjust if she has you. I'm surprised you haven't turned her already instead of keeping her locked up all this time."

"I do not intend to turn her, Rose."

Rosalie looked appalled. "You- you don't? Why not? Sure, Jasper might be a little miffed when he finds out you didn't kill her like you were supposed to, but he'll forgive you once he sees how powerful she is. You know he's always happy to get new talent; it's why he changed you after all – why he changed all of us."

I closed my eyes and shook my head; I had known this was where our conversation was headed, where everything had been headed since the moment Bella developed an actual ability rather than just the vague possibility of one. "I know Jasper would be happy to have her, Rose; that is not the issue. I don't want that for her."

"What?! Are you crazy?! She'd make a fantastic vampire!"

"Would she be happy, though? Think about it, Rosalie. Not one of us chose this lifestyle; we were all forced into it."

"So what? We all got used to it, didn't we? Bella would too, eventually."

"That is not the point. Yes, we all adjusted- because we had no alternative! It was too late to make a different choice. But it is not too late for Bella, and I won't have her chance at a normal life taken from her."

Rosalie gawked at me as if she thought I was possessed. "If Jasper finds out that you found someone with such an amazing talent and let her go, he'll literally have your head for it. You know that."

"So be it. I won't allow Jasper or anyone else to change Bella against her will. She deserves better than an endless life of crime and vampirism."

"What if it's not against her will?" Rosalie asked slyly. "She said she loves you; maybe she wants to stay with you forever. How do you know that's not what she wants?"

As a matter of fact, I did not know that was not what Bella wanted – as yet the idea had not crossed her mind, and I had no clue what her reaction might be if it did. Seeing that I had no answer, Rosalie pressed on. "Have you even asked Bella if she wants to stay with you as a vampire, or do you just assume you know what's best for her?"

"No, I have not asked Bella if she wants to be vampirized, nor has she asked to be. As yet, that course of action has not occurred to her."

"I see; and if it did, what would you do?"

_I would tell her it's a terrible idea, that she would regret such a decision later, after it is too late to change it. _

"Haven't thought about it yet?"

"Oh, I've thought about it, but I had hoped it would never warrant more than thought. Honestly, I never wanted you to know about Bella; I knew it would come to this."

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Quit being so melodramatic, Edward; it hasn't come to anything yet."

"Perhaps not this second, but soon, yes? As you said, when Jasper finds out-"

"And how is Jasper going to find out?" When I merely raised my eyebrows, Rosalie indignantly put her hands on her hips and said, "Oh, I get it. You think I'm going to run off and tell him, don't you?"

"It seems probable."

"Well, I'm not," she huffed.

To say I was surprised would have been an understatement. "Why not?"

"Why not?! Good grief, Edward, I know we aren't the closest of friends, but I don't hate you so much that I would get any enjoyment out of watching Jasper incinerate you! If that was what I wanted, I would have called him already. What kind of vampire do you think I am?"

"I don't think Alice is going to tell him, either," she continued. "If she were going to, she would have just done so instead of sending me to hear your side of this."

"Wait a minute- Alice sent you here? She saw Bella, then?"

Rosalie sighed condescendingly. "Duh, Edward; you didn't think I just felt like dropping in, did you?"

I remained silent as I processed this; of course it had been foolish to forget how Alice's visions might factor into my attempt to keep Bella from being forced to work for Jasper. And the fact that she had sent Rosalie to hear me out- what did that mean? _I really need to have a talk with Alice._

Predictably, I had no sooner made that decision than my phone rang. Rosalie grinned. "Think of the devil, eh? You know, I think I'll let you two work this out between yourselves." With that, she stepped off the roof, landed gracefully on the street below, and ran off.

I stayed where I was and answered the phone. "Hello, Alice. What exactly did you see concerning Bella?"

She tsk-ed softly. "It concerned you both, Edward, and not all of that vision came true, thanks to Rose interrupting you."

It wasn't the most important thing, but I had to know. "What would have happened if Rosalie hadn't come?"

"You really want to know? All right- you told Bella you love her too, and then you kissed her. And no, you wouldn't have bitten her. It looks like you really meant it when you said you wouldn't let her be changed unless it was her choice."

"I thought I said I did not want her changed, period."

"You did not actually say you never want her to be a vampire. But you didn't decide to talk to me because you wanted help sorting through your feelings, though you probably need it; you wanted to know what I intend to tell Jasper about your girlfriend."

_She's the one who was put in a mental institution and she thinks __I__ need psychiatric help. Well, if I do it's probably from spending time with people like her and Jasper- people who enjoy head games too much. _But I had learned a long time ago that telling Alice to quit playing with my mind was useless.

Better to move on to the truly important issue. "Fine then – what do you intend to tell Jasper? And don't say 'nothing' because we both know you never have kept secrets from him and you never will. Just tell me, is Bella in danger or not?"

"Hmm, I need some time to work on that. Just stay where you are, and leave Jasper to me. For what it's worth, I really hope your Bella doesn't get killed."

"Why not? What is she to you?"

Alice laughed mischievously. "Absolutely nothing, but she is a marvelous source of entertainment. I really can't wait to see how it all turns out- and I'm sure I'll see it soon."

She hung up on me, and I was left staring at the dead phone, wondering if Alice was really going to help Bella, or if she would only make everything worse. Whatever she did, I was sure she would have a lot of fun doing it.

**A/N: Hope that didn't sound too filler-ish. The next chapter will be about what Alice does after saying 'leave Jasper to me' so it's likely Bella and Edward won't be in that one (cries). Still, it's important, so I have to do it.**

**One person asked me if there would be a sequel to this story, so I'm setting up a poll on my profile so you can tell me if I should do one or not. I'm still a long way from ending this story, but I'd like to go ahead and start getting opinions so I'll know if I need to spend any time refining my idea for the sequel or forget it and work on something else, so please vote and help me out. **


	13. How to Save a Life

**A/N: OK, here's another chapter; as I said at the end of chapter 11, this one covers what Alice and Jasper decide to do with Bella. It also ended up having some background on Edward and past stuff that happened between him and Jasper- don't ask me how that got in there, it just did. Sorry this chapter is a little short, I'll try to make the next one longer; no promises though.**

_**Chapter 12: How to Save a Life**_

**POV: Alice**

"For what it's worth, I really hope your Bella doesn't get killed."

"Why not?" Edward asked suspiciously, "What is she to you?"

I rolled my eyes; although I understood the reasons behind it, Edward's assumption that everyone had an ulterior motive was a little tiresome. If I said I hoped his human survived because I could see that he would be miserable if she didn't, and I did not want him to be miserable, he would just accuse me of playing with his head again- as if that was all I ever did.

Well, if that was what he wanted to think, letting him was the easiest thing. "Absolutely nothing, but she is a marvelous source of entertainment. I really can't wait to see how it all turns out- and I'm sure I'll see it soon."

I hung up before he could demand to know exactly what I planned to do. The truth was that I had no plan just yet – I would make it up as I went along, which usually worked for me. _Okay, the first thing to work out is what I'm going to say to Jasper, because Edward was right on one count. I never have kept secrets from Jasper, and I can't see myself starting now._

I ran my fingers through my hair, making it even spikier. What was the best way to handle this? I had seen that Edward did not want Bella to be changed into a vampire, unless perhaps it was her choice, but as yet she hadn't made that choice!

So what alternatives were there? The ideal solution would be if Jasper didn't insist on making her a vampire, but that was impossible – or was it? The girl's talent was already perfectly usable, and if leaving her human was what it took to keep Edward happy… Jasper never would admit it, but I knew he had a soft spot for his erstwhile protégé. Maybe if I put it to him just right…

My vision alerted me to Jasper's return five minutes before he walked in the door. "There you are," I greeted him.

He smiled- not the tight-lipped, artificial grin he gave most people, but a genuinely happy smile no one except me ever saw. _It's a pity he rarely shows his good side; if he did, maybe fewer people would be terrified of him, and maybe, if he'd been a little nicer, he wouldn't have messed Edward up so badly. I know he regrets that, no matter how well he hides it; maybe the old issues between them will make him more persuadable now._

"What's the matter, love?" Jasper had sensed my apprehension over how to broach the Bella problem.

_Might as well be done with it. _"There's something I need to talk to you about, but I'm afraid you'll be angry."

"Alice, you know I'm never angry at you. You can talk to me about anything."

"It's not me I'm worried about; you see, it involves Edward-" Jasper's face twisted into the scowl he always put on when Edward's name was mentioned- "-and a human."

The scowl vanished to be replaced by blank shock. "A human? What would he ever have to do with a human?"

I took a deep breath and told Jasper the entire story, minus the fact that Bella was the same girl Edward had been instructed to kill days ago; no reason to make Jasper angrier with him. When I was finished, Jasper remained silent for two whole minutes as he absorbed my story.

Finally he refocused his gaze on me and asked, "So, are you suggesting I let this girl go? Have you any idea what that would do to my reputation?"

_Oh, screw your blasted reputation! It's not like you would lose all your bad-ass credentials if you let __one girl__ slip through your fingers. _"No, you don't have to let her go, but you don't have to turn her either. Think about it, Jasper. Her talent is already fully developed- she doesn't need vampirism; you can use her in human form."

"What?! Humans are so fragile, even one with a power is useless! In our world, she would not last one day, Alice."

"She would with Edward's protection. Jasper, he loves her; he isn't going to let her get killed, and he isn't going to let her be coerced into living as a vampire."

Jasper ground his teeth at the subtle reference to his and Edward's checkered past; I pressed the point. "You know as well as I do that the only reason he stayed with us is because he had nothing else to do with himself, but he isn't happy. He is happy with this girl, and if you kill her or force her to become a vampire before she's ready, he won't put up with it!

I know you like to be in control, but Edward never was very controllable; unless you want him as an enemy, you're going to have to let him have his way on this one. I'm sorry if you don't like it, but that's the way things are."

"Not necessarily," Jasper growled.

"Oh really? What would you do, murder the girl and then force him not to be upset about it?! There are so many holes in that plan it makes Swiss cheese look rock-solid! In case you've forgotten, you tried messing with Edward's emotions once already, and just look at the result: he won't come near you, he wants nothing to do with most other vampires, and he doesn't trust people as far as he can throw them! Honestly, Jasper, how much more do you want to do to him?"

Jasper's amber eyes widened; there were not many people who had the nerve to speak to him this way. _It's really too bad that there aren't. I love Jasper, but he does get a bit carried away with his stupid power-trip sometimes, and he wouldn't if I wasn't the only one who dared give him a little verbal slap in the face now and then. _

He sighed, and I smiled; he was giving in, the way he usually did when I asked him for anything. "Very well. I suppose Edward can keep his human girlfriend; but she is his responsibility- he had better not blame me if human fragility gets her killed in a situation she could survive as a vampire! As long as he understands that, he can do whatever he wants with her."

"I'm sure he'll be pleased to hear that. You'll want to meet her, won't you?"

Another deep sigh. "I probably should, yes." Jasper opened the cabinet where the synthetic blood was kept and poured a glass. "It shouldn't be too hard to be around a human just long enough for introductions."

"No, it shouldn't; although, if you meet the girl, you know Edward will insist on being there." Behind me, I heard the sounds of glass being crunched into pieces and Jasper's muttered curses.

**A/N: I got the idea of Bella joining the vampire gang as a human from my mom, if you're wondering where that came from. I know it might seem like a random thing to happen right now, but it's necessary.**


	14. First Date

**A/N: I'm sorry I haven't posted this chapter sooner; I had it planned out in my head, I just couldn't motivate myself to sit down and type. If you care to help my motivation, please review. Otherwise, you might have to wait a whole week for updates! **

**Also, I think I've deprived everyone of Bella/Edward romance long enough, so I put a bit of that in – enjoy! **

_**Chapter 13: First Date**_

**POV: Bella**

"Does this look okay?" Edward looked up at me and smiled in amusement. "What? Is there something on my shirt?" I pulled my tank top out from my stomach so I could check for spaghetti sauce stains, rips or something equally embarrassing.

Edward got off the couch and gripped my wrists, pulling my hands off my top. "Bella, you look perfect; I was merely surprised at your wardrobe choice."

"What do you mean? I always dress like this."

"I know, but considering that you are getting ready to go to a building full of vampires, I expected you to wear a turtleneck, possibly with a metal collar for a necklace."

I gulped. Ever since Edward had told me we were going out tonight, I had been trying to focus on the part where I could get out of the apartment for a while, and forget that he was taking me out because his boss wanted to meet me. When I asked where the meeting would take place, he said we would go to some club called O Positive that the head vamp owned; apparently he wasn't big on inviting people to his house, wherever it might be.

"A building full of vampires? Does your boss have a bunch of bodyguards or something?" _Why would a vampire need even __one__ bodyguard? I thought they were pretty dang close to invincible._

"We are, so of course Jasper doesn't have any bodyguards. The building is full of vampires because our kind tend to gravitate toward certain locations in large cities, and Jasper's club is one of them."

"Oh." I hadn't anticipated this; one vampire I could handle, since after all Edward was one vampire, but a whole club full of them? That prospect was… daunting. Edward seemed to read my hesitation in my face.

"Are you afraid? You know I won't let anything happen to you."

I swallowed hard; I could believe that. "I know you won't. I trust you."

"Good girl." His thumb brushed my cheekbone, then he leaned down and gently pressed his icy lips against mine. My fingers wove themselves through his bronze hair, pulling him closer to me as the kiss deepened. My lips parted, and his tongue caressed mine for a moment before he quickly pulled away.

I blinked in surprise; the pulling away as if he had crossed the line was not new, but the tongue in my mouth was. It was nice, but very unexpected. Edward looked like he hadn't expected to do it either. The hint of embarrassment on his face was too much – I had to tease him a little. "You know, I've suddenly decided I want to skip the going out part of this date."

"That would be a very bad idea, Bella."

"Why? Afraid you might do something you'd regret?"

He sighed. "Yes, keeping Jasper waiting always has regrettable consequences."

I pouted. "You're no fun; has anyone ever told you that?"

Edward smiled darkly. "No one ever seems to tell me anything else. Now, put this on." He held out his brown leather jacket.

"Why do I have to wear that?"

"Because, Bella, the place I am taking you to is one where it is unwise for a girl such as yourself to expose too much." He thrust the jacket into my arms, and I put it on, though I doubted it would do much to dispel the cold shivers running up my spine.

What had he meant by saying it would be unwise for me to expose too much? Just how great was the risk of walking into a vampire hotspot (or cold spot) with warm blood coursing through my veins? I didn't doubt Edward's ability or willingness to protect me- if I did he would have had to drag me to this club kicking and screaming- but I wasn't crazy about the possibility of being perceived as a potential snack.

_Quit worrying, Bella. Edward knows what he's doing and he wouldn't set me up to get eaten, or whatever. _That was yet another unknown for me to fret over as I headed outside- what would happen if a vampire lost control and bit me? Could I survive if they didn't take all my blood, or would their powerful jaws break my neck with one snap?

A cool night breeze hit me and I shivered, grateful now for the jacket Edward had given me. Speaking of Edward, I suddenly realized he wasn't beside me; I whirled around looking for him and found him standing by the door we had exited, watching me. "Hey, what are you doing over there?"

He was at my side in a flash. "I was giving you a moment to enjoy being outside; I don't take you out enough, do I?"

This, like the French-kissing earlier, was a first. "Since when do you offer to take me out more often?"

He shrugged. "Since they found out about you, everyone insists on calling you my 'girlfriend'; we might as well live up to their expectations, yes?"

'Girlfriend'. The word was thrilling. Sure, Edward had kissed me that night after the blonde vampire, Rosalie, had left, but I had thought that might be just because he was happy that she hadn't set me on fire. I certainly hadn't expected him to do it again, and was pleasantly surprised when he had.

Still, he had never referred to me as his girlfriend until now, nor had he said anything about me having told him I loved him right before Rose butted in. After he kissed me the first time, I had wanted to bring it up as a way of segueing into asking how he felt about me, but it felt like doing so would be pushing my luck. Given the way he hesitated before touching me and the abruptness with which he always pulled away from me, I had gotten the impression that this sort of relationship was very new to him, and that he was not yet entirely comfortable with it.

I really wished I knew what was behind his behavior- why he seemed apprehensive about letting people get too close, why he was so emotionally withdrawn most of the time. I wasn't likely to find out from him, though. His personal history was the one thing he absolutely refused to discuss. Oh well, I would see Rose at the club tonight- maybe I could find time to ask her about Edward's past.

The idea of learning more about Edward, plus the knowledge that there would be at least one other vampire there who probably wouldn't try to munch on my throat made the idea of going to that club already much more appealing. "So, are we going anytime soon? I mean, it takes a while to drive from here to downtown, right?"

"It does, but I was wondering if you would consider an alternative form of transportation."

My eyes narrowed suspiciously. "What alternative form of transportation?" I asked warily.

He smiled widely. "My usual one. Here, climb on my back."

"Um, o-kay." I circled around behind him, put my hands on his shoulders, and jumped, wrapping my legs around his ribcage to hold myself in place.

"Hold on tight," Edward cautioned me; I locked my arms around his neck. The instant my grip was secure, he took off. By the time my mind had registered that we were in motion, he had somehow got on the roof! He dashed across it so fast I couldn't see how he was going to stop before hitting the edge, and indeed he didn't – he simply leaped the gap between rooftops and ran on like there had been no pause at all.

This wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't seen the voids of empty space as he jumped, some of which were as much as eight feet across. After the first two, it was obvious the leap was no problem for Edward, but I couldn't get rid of the disturbing image of myself losing my grip on him and splattering in the alley below like a bug on a windshield. I squeezed my eyes shut and clutched Edward tighter.

A few minutes or hours later, I wasn't sure which, the run-and-jump rhythm was broken; instead of landing on another rooftop, we fell. My eyes popped open, and I saw a parking lot rushing up at us. I bit hard on my lip to keep from screaming.

Screaming would have been embarrassing, because of course Edward landed perfectly and I never felt the slightest impact. "Here we are," he announced. "You can get down now, you know."

"Easier said than done," I grunted. As tightly as I had been hanging onto him, unwrapping my arms and legs was hard; Edward reached up, gently unlocked my vise-like grip and set me on my feet, then pulled me into a hug.

"Did I frighten you?"

"Only in the 'half to death' way," I said, ruffled.

"Then I am very sorry."

It was my turn to pull away from him. "Fine, now can we get this over with?" I turned and walked toward the building adjoining the parking lot; it wasn't ancient or covered in graffiti, which I took as a good sign.

Edward caught up to me before I'd gone five steps. "Bella, you don't honestly think I'm letting you go in there alone, do you?"

Ignoring him, I marched to the doors, only to be stopped by an imposingly well-muscled bouncer. "No girls allowed in here, little lady, unless you're here to perform."

"Perform? You mean dance or something? No, I'm-"

"With me," Edward interjected, taking my hand. The bouncer's intimidating leer vanished and was replaced by uncertainty; he wasn't supposed to let me inside for some reason, but it was clear that he didn't find the prospect of disagreeing with Edward inviting.

"Look, Mr. Cullen, you know-"

"I know that Jasper is expecting this girl. I also know that you know what happens when Jasper doesn't get something he's expecting."

The bouncer looked scared. "All right, all right, hurry up and get her in there!"

"Thank you," Edward said with a polite smile. He tugged on my arm, and I followed him inside, hoping my knees wouldn't shake too much.

_I see now why the bouncer said I shouldn't come in; I'm way underdressed. _Actually, overdressed was a better word, because none of the other girls in the club had on anywhere near as much clothing as I did. I stared accusingly at Edward. "You could have warned me O Positive was a strip joint!" I hissed.

He gave me a tense grimace. "I am sorry about this; I'm not particularly fond of this place either, but it's where Jasper normally meets with his employees. If I had had a choice I assure you I would have taken you elsewhere."

"Whatever, can we just go meet Jasper? I really don't like the looks I'm getting here." Sure enough, a lot of O Positive's clientele were looking at me like they were surprised to see a girl who wasn't dressed in fishnets and skimpy, lacy stripper-wear.

As Edward led me to the back of the club where Jasper's office was located, I noticed that the smoky blue and green lights had a weird effect on peoples' skin: they seemed to reflect off of it, making everyone glow a little. One guy glanced away from the stage and eyeballed me curiously; I looked down self-consciously and saw that my skin wasn't glowing like everyone else's, like Edward's… _Oh my gosh, is this a vampire thing? Are __all__ these people vampires?! _

Maybe people weren't staring at me only because of my overly-clothed state- maybe they were puzzled by the presence of a human in their territory. I lowered my gaze to the floor and tried to look unobtrusive.

Finally, we reached the back of the club and Edward tapped on a door marked 'Employees Only'. Evidently he was told to enter (though my less sensitive ears picked up nothing), because he opened the door and pulled me inside.

The man sitting at the desk rose and crossed the room, holding his hand out to me. "Hello, Bella Swan. I'm Jasper."

**A/N: Sorry for leaving you hanging; I meant to put all of the meeting with Jasper in this chapter, but I just thought it was long enough here, so I decided to go ahead and update so I could go to bed. Anyway, I hope you liked it.**


	15. What I Want

_**Chapter 14: What I Want **_

**POV: Jasper**

I sensed Edward the second he set foot in O Positive- he was the only one who radiated that particular feeling of cold focus undercut with tension sharp as razor wire; altogether, a combination that set my teeth on edge. The girl, Bella Swan, was no better; she was even tenser than Edward, and all but terrified of entering vampire territory.

The only thing that was keeping the girl from fleeing as if her life depended on it was Edward's presence at her side. This was fascinating- although the human was frightened of vampires in general, she trusted him – literally – with her life. Even more interesting, her trust was not misplaced; Edward Cullen would be more than willing to take on every vampire in this place to protect her.

Now I was glad that I had taken Alice's advice and arranged to meet Bella in person. I had never seen anything like the connection between Edward and his human; in fact, I wouldn't even have guessed such a thing could happen.

They made it through the club without incident, though I sensed a few flickers of surprise and curiosity from the odd vampire who realized the presence of a human interloper. Edward tapped softly on my office door. _Well, we're off to a good start; at least he isn't smashing the door in this time._

"Come in," I said quietly. The door opened and there he was, exactly the same as the last time I had seen him, right down to the lack of expression that made his face look masklike. The girl, on the other hand, was utterly failing at concealing her emotions- she was clutching Edward's hand and practically trembling.

I made my approach as slow and nonthreatening as possible and tried not to show too many teeth as I smiled at her. "Hello, Bella Swan. I'm Jasper." I held out my hand, and she tentatively extended her free hand to shake.

"Um… hi. Bella. Is me, I mean, I'm Bella," she stuttered.

"I am very pleased to meet you, Miss Swan. You're very brave to come here; I'm impressed."

She acknowledged the compliment with a quick nod, then got down to business. "Look, er-"

"Call me Jasper."

"Jasper, then. I came because Edward said it's safest to go along with what you want, and I believe him, but I'm not exactly clear on what you want from me."

_This girl is much sharper than average for her species. Very well, I won't insult her intelligence by talking down to her. Yes, Edward, I admitted your girlfriend is clever – you can quit feeling smug about that now._

"What I want from you, Bella, is the same thing I want from anyone- your talent."

She bit down hard on her lip, and I sensed that the overwhelming vampire presence on the other side of the door wasn't the only thing making her nervous- there was something she wanted to tell me, and she was afraid I wouldn't want to hear it. Finally she mustered her courage and started talking.

"Yeah, Edward told me that was why you're interested in me. What I want to know is what you expect me to use this talent for. I don't want you to get mad and kill me, of course, but I don't want to kill anyone else, either. I mean, that's what he-" she jerked her thumb at Edward, "does for you, right? I guess I don't mind too much that he does that, since it hasn't made me like him any less, but I don't want to do it myself."

She broke off and lifted her chin defiantly; then, deciding it was a bad idea to give me such an obvious target if I decided to punch her, she lowered her head again and shuffled her feet nervously. I definitely liked her; her forwardness reminded me of Alice, and I was impressed that she was sticking to her moral code and refusing to kill anyone, even if the alternative was being killed by me. Very impressive indeed.

"Rest assured, Bella, I do not intend for you to kill anyone. In fact, you couldn't even if I wanted you to, because the vast majority of the people who are enough of a thorn in my side to warrant, ah, special attention, are vampires. You would not have a snowball in hell's chance against them, my dear."

"Oh. Well that's… that's different. I guess it makes sense, you know, vampires fighting with other vampires. I just thought… well, if you went after humans… but you're not, so forget it. Anyway, you haven't answered my question. If Edward's the executioner, what am I?"

"You will assist Edward in finding his targets. You see, in the vampire world (and sometimes in the human one as well) I have a bit of an unpleasant reputation, and so does he, so it's a rather common occurrence for people to hide from us. However, disappearing entirely is inordinately difficult; someone always knows where you are. Your job will be to persuade these people to give up their accomplices' locations. Your conscience can handle that, can it not?"

Edward hissed quietly at that jibe, but she was too busy mulling over what I had said to notice. "All right… as long as the 'targets' we're talking about are criminals and vampires, I think I can deal with that. I don't have to watch the fighting and killing, do I?" she asked anxiously.

"On the contrary, I insist that you stay away from it," Edward said through his teeth, finally breaking the stony silence he had maintained since entering my office.

"I quite agree; vampire fights are no place for a human. Now that we are all in agreement, I have a job for the two of you."

"What, already?" Edward asked sharply.

"Yes. If you were not working with Bella, I would ask you to leave tonight; but of course, humans need their sleep, so your flight is not until next morning."

"Where are we going?" Bella asked.

"Los Angeles."

Bella raised her eyebrows. "LA? Who's our target, David Beckham and Posh?"

"Bella, I am fairly certain Jasper does not want to kill the Beckhams," Edward murmured.

"He is quite right, I don't. And Edward's target is not in LA, Bella, yours is. He's a lawyer named J Jenks, and you are going to persuade him to reveal the whereabouts of one Horace Clements. Can you remember that, or do I need to write it down for you?"

Bella huffed indignantly. "Sure I can remember it! What, do you think my mind is a sieve or something?"

Electing not to answer that, I turned to Edward to give him the rest of the instructions. "When you arrive in Los Angeles, Alice will meet you at the airport; she will tell you where to find J Jenks, and you may leave Bella with her once Bella has played her part. You may retrieve her after you have taken care of Clements. That is all."

Edward nodded, clearly glad the meeting was at an end.

**POV: Bella**

Edward hurried me out of O Positive like he couldn't wait to get me away from Jasper. I couldn't figure out why; as far as criminal vamps went, Jasper seemed perfectly nice to me.

Once we got outside, I noticed that Edward looked tense as a coiled spring. "Hey, what's wrong? I thought our meeting went pretty well; no one tried to bite me."

"I'd kill anyone who tried to bite you," he snapped.

I blinked, startled. "Edward! What is your problem?! Why are you so uptight all of a sudden?"

He looked surprised, like he hadn't realized he was being uptight. Finally he sighed and rubbed his forehead hard as if trying to scrub something out of his brain. "I'm sorry, Bella."

"What's wrong?"

"Never mind."

"But you seem upset-"

"I said never mind! End of discussion! We need to get you home; our flight leaves early tomorrow."

I nodded mutely; he was scary when he got angry. I couldn't talk to him like this, so I settled for climbing on his back and clinging onto him through another wild run over the rooftops. He jumped through his open window, peeled me off his back, sat me on the bed, and left so fast it was like he vanished into thin air.

_What is __wrong__ with him?! It's bad enough that he acts all twitchy about our relationship, now he gets all PO'ed when I ask what his damage is… I love him, but having a moody vampire for a boyfriend is a __lot__ like riding a roller coaster. _

I ended up doing what I always did when stressed- taking a long hot shower. When I got out of the bathroom, I found Edward lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling with his hands behind his head. I crawled onto the bed and curled up to him, laying my head on his chest and throwing my leg over his stomach.

He shifted, and I was afraid he would push me away, but instead he wrapped his arms around me and held me closer. It looked like he had calmed down enough to talk to me about what was bothering him when we left the club.

"Bella," he said softly, "are you all right with what Jasper's asking you to do? I don't want you to be forced into doing anything you don't want to."

This wasn't what I was expecting, but I could tell it was a pretty serious matter to him, so I considered carefully before replying. "Actually, I think I am okay with it. I mean, if it's only vampires we're after…"

"So you have no problem with killing vampires, only humans?"

"That's not what I meant, it's more like… I would think it was really unfair if a bunch of vampires went after a human, because there's no chance of defending yourself… vampire vs. vampire just seems fairer."

"You have a very interesting way of looking at things."

"Well, I'm glad to know you like me for my mind."

"Of course I like your mind." He pulled me up so that my head was on the pillow next to his and kissed my forehead. "Now go to sleep."

"Wait, one more."

"If you insist."

Although I had said 'one more' we kissed more than once, until Edward pulled away and said I really did need to sleep.


	16. Party Up

**A/N: This chapter has a lot of fluff, but after this things go downhill a lot, so I wanted to do one last fun chap. There is one important thing that happens somewhere in the middle, though – see if you can spot it.**

**evilangel3326 – I answered your question in my review reply, so I hope you didn't delete it without reading it.**

_**Chapter 15: Party Up**_

**POV: Bella**

I woke up while it was still dark outside. Unsure of why I had awakened at this unreasonable hour, I groaned and made to stuff my head under the pillow, but the pillow vanished. I looked around and saw that Edward had taken it. "I'm sorry, but you really do need to get up, love," he said apologetically.

"Already? Okay, okay, I'm up." I tumbled out of bed and found that Edward had already got out my outfit for the day- jeans, T-shirt, denim jacket and sneakers. If I had cared to turn on a light and check, I'm sure I would have found that they all matched perfectly, too. _Guess vampy night-vision comes in handy sometimes. So does not needing to sleep. _

In the time it took me to dress, brush my teeth, and pull my hair into a ponytail, Edward had packed everything we were taking and called a cab. When I expressed surprise at a vampire taking a taxi, he shrugged and said, "I thought you would prefer it. Of course, I could have run the suitcases down to the airport and then come back for you; that would have been faster."

"Shut up. I don't do vampire speed before nine o'clock."

Edward took a remarkably short time to figure out that I'm not much of a conversationalist before nine either, so he put me in the cab and ran to the airport by himself.

I spent the first ten minutes of waiting for the plane to take off trying to stifle yawns, until Edward said I should go ahead and sleep. "We're meeting Alice at the other end of this flight, and you need to be firing on all cylinders with her."

"Yeah, sure, okay." _Whatever the hell 'firing on all cylinders' means. I suspect it's one of those phrases I would know if I spent more of my life under the hood of a car. _I fastened my seat belt and leaned my head back against the seat. Unfortunately I couldn't lean the seat back because it had to stay in its fully upright position for liftoff.

I woke up to the unpleasant sensation of someone using a jackhammer on my spine, although I soon realized it was just an obnoxious five-year-old kicking the back of my seat. "Would you like me to take care of him for you?" Edward asked, noticing the disgruntled look I gave the tot.

"Take care of him how? You're not going to use violence, right?"

He rolled his golden eyes at me. "I do have other ways of dealing with problems, you know." He cupped my face in his hands and pulled me into a deep kiss.

"Eww, gross!" the kid squealed, and buried his face in a comic book.

I pulled out of the kiss when my oxygen was depleted and gasped, "I definitely like the nonviolent approach better."

"So do I, but it's very new to me. I think I need to practice it a little more, don't you?"

"Oh yeah." Practicing the nonviolent approach really made the flight go faster, at least until that darn stewardess came over and scolded us for 'behavior that is inappropriate for a public place' and asked us to 'save it for your hotel room' – her words, not mine. After that, we had to settle for conversation; luckily, conversation with Edward was almost as good as making out with him.

When we finally arrived in LA and got off the plane, we were greeted by a pixie-like woman with short, spiky black hair and a wardrobe that had probably come from one of those designer boutiques my mom always took me to when I visited her and Phil. I didn't mind those shopping trips too much, except that clothes had never been the source of infinite fascination to me that they were to some women, so I burned out quickly.

"Hey, Edward! Hello, Bella, it's so great to finally see you in the flesh!" The woman ignored my outstretched hand and pulled me into a tight hug instead; the coldness of her skin seeped right through my thin jacket.

"Thanks; er, what do you mean by 'it's great to see me in the flesh'?"

"Alice sees the future," Edward murmured in my ear, "so she's already seen you in her mind."

"Oh, I see."

Alice grinned. "No, I see. Now, let me go get your suitcase before someone else runs off with it; I don't want to waste valuable shopping time on replenishing your stock of underwear." She glided off toward the baggage claim.

"What does she mean about 'valuable shopping time'?"

Edward shook his head. "I suppose I should warn you. Alice thinks the best place for you to find Mr. J Jenks is at a party he'll be attending tomorrow night, and she intends to take you dress-shopping for said party. Personally, I think you could probably get to Mr. Jenks somewhere else, and this is simply an elaborate ploy to force you to accompany her on one of her shopping exploits."

"DRESS-SHOPPING?! But I hate shopping, and I don't even like dresses! Didn't she see that?!"

He laughed at my reaction. "I'm sure she did, but Alice has a long and storied history of disregarding other peoples' feelings when it comes to fashion. I won't try to help you get out of it, either-"

"So much for not wanting me to be forced into anything I don't want to do."

"-Because Alice usually decides it's my wardrobe that needs touching up, and frankly, I'm relieved that this time she has someone else to focus on."

"You traitor; just for this, I'm not going to kiss you again all day." Sure, it was an empty threat, but he didn't know that; maybe I could even stick to it for an hour or two.

"Three and a half hours and seventeen seconds, to be exact," Alice informed me as she breezed up with our luggage. I reached for my suitcase, but Alice pulled it out of my reach. "Make Edward carry it; that's what boyfriends are for."

I started to object, but Edward said he could handle my suitcase. "It's the least I can do since I'm letting Alice drag you to her favorite stores instead of me."

"Yeah, you're right- it is the least you can do."

"Wait a moment; what's this 'instead of' business? There is no 'instead of', Edward, just an 'also'."

"But- I thought you wanted to spend the whole time picking out the perfect dress for Bella-"

"I do, but who do you think is going to hold our purses while I help her try on things?"

Edward made a noise that sounded a lot like choking; I laughed evilly. "Wow, karma kicks in fast, doesn't it?"

I had never before appreciated just how true that saying about misery loving company is; I was dreading trekking through every high-fashion clothes-selling venue in downtown LA, but having Edward with me made the whole thing much more bearable.

He wasn't much help with critiquing the things I tried on because a) he didn't know a lot about girls' fashion, and b) he thought everything looked good on me (which made me question the whole 'vampires have great eyesight' thing); however, he kept me company while Alice selected stuff to take to the dressing rooms, and he even kept the grumbling to a minimum when he got stuck with the purses.

Our dress-shopping expedition lasted six hours and forty-five minutes (which Edward said was quite short, for Alice) until she found a dress that met with her approval. Sapphire-blue, backless and off the shoulder chiffon wasn't exactly my style, but by that time I would have agreed to anything if it meant I could sit down for a while, because my feet were sore from all the walking between stores.

I went out for dinner that night; Alice declined to join me since human food was so disgusting to vampires, but Edward decided to tough it out. As we walked to our car afterwards, I felt a strange prickle on the back of my neck, like someone was watching me. I whirled around, looking for anyone staring at me, but saw nothing.

"What is it, Bella?"

"I don't know; I just had this feeling like I was being watched, but I don't see anyone, do you?"

Edward scanned the parking lot. "No, I don't; nor do I hear anyone thinking about you. I'm sure you only imagined it."

"Yeah, maybe so," I said dubiously. I rarely imagined things, and I felt uneasy until I was safely in the car with the door locked.

**A/N: Okay, that's the end of the chapter; I'm going to leave you hanging now. Just kidding, there's more – I have an unfortunate tendency to pull pranks like that on my readers. ******** I really love the smiley face my computer did here.**

Although Jasper was the one who sensed emotions, I think Edward must have picked up on my jitters, because he stayed with me for the rest of the night, minus the few minutes when I went into the bathroom to change into my PJ's. Even then, he was just on the other side of the door; it was close to impossible to feel scared as long as he was with me.

The next morning, any residual worry was blasted out of my mind over breakfast when Alice announced that she was giving me a makeover for the party tonight, and she expected me to get in the shower at noon. "AT NOON! The party doesn't even start until eight at night!"

"I know, but getting you ready is going to take some work, and then I have to get ready too, you know."

"You're going with me?"

"Yes; Edward doesn't want you going in alone, but we think getting to Mr. Jenks will be easier if you don't show up with a guy. Besides, as Jasper told you, Edward has kind of a bad reputation with Jenks's crowd; we don't want him to be scared away before you have a chance to chat with him, now do we?"

I had to agree with that, but I felt panicky at the idea being without Edward. I had taken it for granted that he would stay with me – he was my partner, after all. Again, he guessed how I was feeling. "Don't worry, Bella; you'll do fine without me, and Alice will be right there with you. All right?"

I swallowed hard. "Okay, I'll give it my best shot."

"That's the spirit."

7:50 p.m.

"Well, what do you think?" Alice spun me around to face the mirrors and smiled excitedly.

"Um, it works very well as a disguise; I don't think my own mother would recognize me. She certainly wouldn't expect me to wear a dress with this neckline, or a skirt with a slit this high. What's with the dress being so provocative, anyway? Yours isn't this bad."

"You'll see; it's all part of the plan." On that reassuring note, we went downstairs. Edward met us at the door and told me I looked beautiful; I told him he needed to see an optometrist.

We took a limo to the party, and I spent most of the ride huddled next to the window with my arms folded, but Alice wouldn't let me cross my legs because it might wrinkle my skirt. As soon as we got inside, Alice pointed out J Jenks. He was a middle-aged, slightly overweight man with a large bald spot and an expensive suit, and he was so well surrounded that I didn't see any way of accomplishing my mission.

"What am I supposed to do, Alice? It'll look odd if I walk up to him in the middle of a crowd and make him tell me where this Horace guy is!"

"So don't do it in the middle of a crowd; get him alone."

"How am I supposed to do that?!"

Alice sighed impatiently. "Isabella Swan, J Jenks is a fairly unattractive fifty-five-year-old man. You are a gorgeous eighteen-year-old girl. It should be obvious how someone like you would get someone like him to leave a party and go somewhere more private."

"Oh, gross! Is this why you said I shouldn't come with Edward? Well, he might as well be here, because there's no way I can pull this off! In the first place, I've never tried to be seductive before, and even if I did, I'm pretty sure he'd see right through me!"

"You don't need to have tried this before, and you really don't even need to be very seductive. Just start talking to him, act like you're fascinated with what he's saying, don't take your eyes off him, stand a little closer to him than you need to, and after about ten minutes, say it's too crowded and ask if he wants to go somewhere more private. If he doesn't ask you first, that is. Trust me, he'll think you're in love with him." Alice smirked.

I groaned, "He must be really desperate."

Alice chuckled. "All men are desperate on some level, Bella; some just hide it better than others." With that, she put her frigid hand in the middle of my bare back and gave me a push that sent me halfway across the room.

I let the momentum carry me into the group J was talking to, and (what luck) managed to bump into his arm and cause him to spill his champagne. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry; clumsy me, I tripped over my skirt!"

J Jenks took in the spreading wet spot on his jacket, then looked up like he was ready to make an angry retort; but when he saw me, his eyes widened and he suddenly looked a lot less angry. "Oh, that's all right, miss; I don't think anyone could mind bumping into you."

I arranged my face into a sheepish smile. At least now I didn't have to find a way to break the ice. J Jenks pulled a handkerchief (who knew people still carried those) out of his pocket to wipe his jacket, and I took Alice's advice and started chatting with him.

At first, I tried to keep eye contact, but I gave that up- J was more interested in staring at my cleavage anyway. _That's it, I'm not going to feel at all guilty for using mind-control on him, and I'm tired of him mentally undressing me. Time to get this wrapped up. _I glanced over at Alice, who gave me a quick thumbs-up, so I tried to put some extra allure in my smile and made my move.

"You know, J, there are way too many people in here. You want to go somewhere else, just you and me?" I ran my fingers down his sleeve as if I was admiring muscles that didn't exist.

J Jenks swallowed nervously; it had obviously been a while since anyone had come on to him. "Well, if that's – I mean, if you're sure – well, certainly." We left the hotel ballroom by a side door and I steered J into a deserted stairwell.

"Er, wouldn't it be better, um, to go back to my, er, my room?" he asked nervously.

I smiled sweetly. "Oh, no, right here is perfect for me. See, I'm not really interested in making out with you, I just needed to get you out of that party so I could ask you where I can find Horace Clements."

The blood drained from J's face faster than if he'd been bitten by a vampire. "What, you- I expected- but you're-"

"Not who you expected, right? Yeah, but Jasper thought you'd be more likely to talk to me than my boyfriend. But, if he was wrong, and you'd rather talk to Edward-"

J's knees almost gave out. "E-Edward Cullen?! He's your- your boyfriend? You poor girl; how did you end up in a mess like that?"

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm not in a mess, J; why would you think I am?"

"I shouldn't say – but tell me, h-he's not coming after me, is he?!" J pulled out his hanky and wiped at the sweat dripping down his forehead.

"No, Edward doesn't care about you. He's only interested in this Clements guy, and as long as you tell me where he's hanging out, you can just pretend Edward's not even in California." _So cut the crap and tell me where to find Horace Clements. _

"He's in Washington!" J blurted. "He guessed Jasper would be after him soon, so he's hiding out somewhere around Mount Rainier- some place called Goat Rocks."

I had gone to Washington on vacations with Charlie and Renee when I was little, and then just with Charlie after the divorce, so I knew that Goat Rocks around Mount Rainier was wilderness territory – Clements must be a vamp if he could stay there for an extended time. "Thank you, you've been very helpful."

"Wait! You won't, you know, tell him why I left the ballroom with you, right? I don't want Cullen mad at me!"

I turned slowly and surveyed J; he was slumped against the wall, sweating through his suit and looking ready to have a heart attack. _Poor guy; he might be a bit of a pervert, but he's clearly terrified of Edward. _"Don't worry, I'll tell Edward that you didn't give me any trouble. He's not going to come after you."

I found Alice waiting for me outside the ballroom's front door. "What are you doing out here?"

She grinned wickedly. "It was a little too crowded in there. So, was your little rendezvous with Mr. Jenks fun?"

"Oh, shut up; look, I got what we came for, so can we please leave? I don't want to go back in there and have more old guys stare down the front of this stupid dress."

**A/N: I hope that wasn't too stupid; if it was, don't worry – I'm past all the fluffy-fun parts of this story now.**


	17. Nobody's Home plus Gone

_**Chapter 16: Nobody's Home**_

**POV: Bella**

_Boring, boring, boring, __astoundingly__ boring… there is absolutely __nothing__ worth watching on primetime television anymore! _I threw the remote down in disgust and got off the leather sofa I had sprawled on.

Alice's house was so big it seemed to echo with every step I took, or maybe I was, for once, imagining things. After all, there were no more big empty spaces than there had been when I first got here, unless I counted the big empty space in my chest.

Edward had left for Washington to hunt down Horace Clements, and I had been left here with Alice; after all, vampire fights were no place for a human. I was glad that I wouldn't have to watch the 'dirty work' part of this job, but knowing that Edward was in an entirely different part of the country from me gave me the comforting feeling of a knife twisting in my gut.

_I really need to do something to take my mind off missing him; he'll be back soon, after all. But what am I going to do? _The solution came to me, so obvious I should have thought of it hours ago: I was in Los Angeles, so I should go visit Renee. _Mom would be thrilled to see me, and she's great at taking up my attention. I bet spending the day with her would make the time fly. _

Alice had gone out to stock up on food for the couple of days I would be staying with her, but she had left a set of car keys on the breakfast room table with instructions to use them if I wanted to go anywhere. I made my way to the garage and pressed the Unlock button on the keyless remote; the lights on a black Mercedes blinked.

The Mercedes was a little different from the Jaguar Renee had given me for my last birthday, but nothing I couldn't handle. _Hmm, maybe I should pick up my car while I'm at Mom's; Alice can just run over there and get her Mercedes. _

In no time, I was pulling up to the huge Hollywood-style mansion my big-shot movie-producer of a stepdad lived in – it was so dang fancy it had a gate, and visitors had to be buzzed in. Yes, you heard me right, buzzed. Sure, Alice's digs were about the same, but it just seemed a little more fitting for her than for my mom, for crying out loud.

Of course, Phil's security guy didn't recognize the Merc, so he stopped me. I rolled down my window and greeted him. "Hey, Clarence, it's just me."

"Hey, Bella. Whoa, sweet ride; did you know that model hasn't even been released in the U.S. yet?"

"No, I didn't know that; it's just something I borrowed from a friend."

"Oh, your new mystery guy, huh? Well, I'm sure Mrs. Dwyer will approve if he can afford this baby. Speaking of Mrs. Dwyer, if you're here to see her you're outta luck; she and the boss-man went out to lunch. You want to go in and wait for her?"

_Yeah, sitting around in another empty mansion is __exactly__ what I need. _"No thanks, C.W., I'll just come back later, 'kay?"

I drove away and pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store, where I got out and kicked the front tire in frustration. It seemed I was doomed to spend today alone and lonely; absolutely nobody was home!

Or maybe not – I suddenly felt the same prickle on the back of my neck that had set my spider sense tingling night before last. I whirled around and this time I saw someone, an alarmingly huge man who gave me a wolfish grin when I looked at him.

"Hello, Bella," he said in a deep, husky growl. He wasn't pale enough to be a vampire, but he was something superhuman all right; before I could so much as blink, he was right on top of me, his hand covering my face. A sickly-sweet smell filled my nose, and the world went black.

**A/N: After writing it, I saw that this 'chapter' is really more of an interlude than a real chapter, and it has a wicked cliffhanger. Therefore, to avoid accusations of torture (and just because I love you guys so much) I'm giving you a two-fer and including chapter 17 with this update.**

**WARNING: this chapter contains a graphically gory flashback scene and some foul language.**

_**Chapter 17: Gone**_

**POV: Edward**

I was waiting for my connecting flight to Port Angeles when my cell phone rang. I flipped it open- Alice. _I should answer her; it could be something about Bella. _"Yes, Alice?"

"Edward, it's Bella." I could tell by the stress in her voice that something was very wrong.

"What?! Is she sick, hurt-"

"That's the problem, I don't know; her future disappeared two minutes ago! I called Jasper, and he said you should forget Clements and come back here."

"I'm glad he feels that way, because that's exactly what I intend to do. One way or another, I'll be back in about four hours."

"Good; Emmett and Rosalie are on their way – they'll help you find out what happened to her, though I think we can rule out anything good."

Three and a half hours later

I made it back to Los Angeles in record time- the damn airlines were too slow, so I ran instead. On the way, I called Alice again and found out where she had last seen Bella before she vanished from the foreseeable future; I went straight to the 7/11 parking lot and told her to send Emmett and Rose there as well.

I found the Mercedes Alice had loaned Bella abandoned and surrounded by a disgusting animal odor that I had smelled only once and hoped never to smell again. _Oh no, please, no… of all the people to have taken Bella, why did it have to be __him__? _

FLASHBACK (3rd person POV)

_The fight was short, but bloody – the eleven wolves had come out of nowhere and literally taken apart four of the vampires in less than ten minutes. However, the remaining three vampires had rallied quickly from the unexpected attack and killed all but three of The Pack. _

_The only female of the vampire party rejoined her companion, wiping clots of dried gore off her cheek as she bitterly reported, "I've checked out all the bodies. The Alpha isn't one of them."_

_Her extremely well-muscled mate swore. "THE BASTARD GOT AWAY?!" he shouted._

_"There's no need to shout." The coldly inflectionless voice came from behind them, and the two turned to see the newest addition to their group standing there with a grim, vicious smile on the face that was so perfect, so angelic, that his newborn's demonic red eyes seemed out of place. _

_"What do you mean, there's no need to shout? These rabid __dogs__ wasted __four__ of us, and we didn't even manage to kill their leader! What reason is there __not__ to shout?" the blonde female demanded._

_The newborn brushed his unruly bronze hair off his forehead, and it was lacquered into place by the sticky blood that had dripped into it as he tore out the ribcage of his much-taller opponent. "Maybe the leader got away, but look what we've got instead- his mate." _

_The other two vampires inspected the bloodied and broken form the newborn had dragged back. The she-wolf was badly injured, but still alive, and changing back to human form before their eyes. The instant she was fully human, the bronze-haired newborn pressed his thumb to her throat, closing her windpipe and making it impossible for her to get the oxygen she needed to regenerate._

_"I know your mate was expecting you to survive; where did he tell you to meet him?"_

_He removed his hand from the wolf's throat; she gulped in air, then spat bloody saliva onto her interrogator's face. "I'm not telling you, leech; there's nothing you can say or do that will make me betray him."_

_The newborn grinned coldly. "You are wrong about that. He depended on you to always be with him, to make the awful burden of leading The Pack easier; I would say your dying and leaving him all alone would count as quite a betrayal."_

_With a feral snarl, he punched through the female's nearly-healed chest and ripped out her heart; it pulsed a few more times, squeezing hot blood from the severed arteries down the vampire's sleeve, then stopped cold. _

_The vampire callously kicked the werewolf's corpse out of his way the way a human teenager would kick an empty bottle as he and his companions headed to the entrance of the old warehouse The Pack had herded them into. "Torch the place; make it look like we were never here," the older, larger male instructed._

_"You got it." The female kicked some stray garbage into a pile and smiled the innocently delighted smile of the carefree young girl she had once been as her hand burst into flame, which ignited the garbage pile but left her porcelain skin unscathed. _

_She narrowed her eyes in concentration, and small fires popped up everywhere else in the warehouse, except between the vampires and the exit. "All the evidence will be up in smoke long before the humans' pitiful law enforcement arrives."_

_The three vampires left the burning building and headed toward their cars, but the newborn paused for a moment. His companions had noticed nothing, but they didn't share his particular gift – the voice, so warped with fury and grief that it sounded inhuman, was only heard in __his__ mind. _

_'EDWARD CULLEN, YOU BLOODSUCKING SON OF A BITCH, IF IT'S THE LAST THING I DO, I __WILL__ MAKE YOU PAY FOR THIS' the voice howled._

_Edward swept his crimson gaze down the street and over the tops of all the buildings, but the owner of that voice was nowhere in sight. Edward shrugged carelessly; so what if the mangy mutt lived a little longer? He could always take care of the animal later – after all, he had forever._

_As for the promise of revenge, that was completely absurd; there was no one left that Edward __truly__ cared for, and the people who now passed as friends for him were every bit as immortal and indestructible as him. What could the dog possibly find to hurt him with?_

END OF FLASHBACK (POV is now Edward's again)

The memory triggered by the scent was powerful, one of the earliest from my life as a vampire, and it took Emmett shaking me to snap me back into the present.

"I remember this stench," Rosalie said, wrinkling her nose. "It's him, isn't it? Why else would Alice have seen Bella's future disappear, unless she'd been snatched by the only creatures Alice can't see?"

I growled; he had said he would make me pay for what I had done those thirteen years ago, and intuition told me he would think the Old Testament variety of retribution appropriate.

"This was on the car seat; it's addressed to you." Emmett handed me a folded piece of paper, which I flipped open and read:

Edward Cullen,

Remember me? Well I remember you. You thought you were so slick, like nothing could ever get to you – but Bella did, didn't she? It's too bad (for you) that you left her alone and I got to her. It would serve you right if I ripped her heart out like you did Leah's, but I'm not as cold as you, so I won't take my revenge on your whore when it's you I want, you heartless prick. If you want her back, she's still alive. You know the place.

J.B.

I crumpled the note and snarled. "Oh, it's definitely him; he's finally found a way to get to me, that wretched dog – Jacob Black."

**A/N: First of all, a big apology to any Jacob fans I may have offended; to any Jacob-haters who love this twist, glad I've made you happy. I hope the cussing didn't offend you, but it mentioned in Eclipse that he could talk dirty when he wanted to, so I thought it fit. **

**This is the last ****major**** surprise in the story, and now it's all about tying up loose ends, so if you care even the tiniest bit whether or not there's a sequel, and you haven't voted yet, please work on deciding how you want to vote, because that will affect how I write the end.**


	18. Bloody Well Right

**A/N: Before continuing the story, I want to give a big thank-you for all the great reviews I got for the last chapter; I'm so glad you aren't furious with me for the way I'm writing Jacob. For all of you who said there should be a sequel, you'll find out at the end of the week, which is when I'm closing the poll. If any of you still want to vote, time is running out! **

**In this chapter, a fictional organization called the Department of Defense, which is sort of a combination of the FBI, the CIA and Homeland Security, comes into the story. It's nothing like the real organizations, so please don't pick on me for inaccuracy. It's not meant to be accurate. And come on, you can't honestly still be surprised at my craziness, can you? Aren't we past that? And by the way, I don't own the U.S. government (disclaimer). Now, on to what you're really interested in: chapter 18**

_**Chapter 18: Bloody Well Right**_

**POV: Edward**

Of course I left immediately for the place Black had told me to come to – the old warehouse in Chicago where I had first begun our vendetta. I had never thought I would see eye to eye with the mutt on anything, but now I found I could relate to the fury he felt upon finding his mate dead.

The difference was that my Bella was probably still alive; not that I took Black's word for it, a werewolf's word of honor (hah, what honor?) was worth less than half a cent to me. However, I could believe what he wrote about not taking his revenge on her when his quarrel was with me.

Werewolves never killed humans when they could avoid it; we vampires were their only real enemies. Still, I could think of a few things he could do to Bella that might not kill her… he had called her my 'whore', after all…

"Stop it, Edward; you're supposed to be driving to Chicago, not driving yourself insane," Rosalie said sharply, leaning up from the backseat to thump the back of my head.

"I thought I was the mind-reader here," I said in a dull monotone; worry over Bella had me so preoccupied I couldn't even muster my usual sarcasm.

"I'm not reading your mind, I just know you too well; much better than I ever wanted to, honestly."

I merely grunted in reply. Emmett sighed. "Come on, Edward, you know The Pack wouldn't kill a human girl. You need to relax, kid."

I opened my mouth to tell him not to call me 'kid', but my phone buzzed and I had to answer it rather than snap at Emmett. "What is it now, Alice?" I demanded.

"There's no need to take that tone with me," she said coolly. "I just thought you might want a heads-up; the security guard at Bella's mother's house told Renee about Bella stopping by and then not coming back later even though she'd said she would.

Renee tried to get in touch with Bella, but obviously Bella didn't answer her phone, so Renee panicked and called Bella's father-"

"And I care about this why, exactly?"

"You'll care when you hear what Jasper found out about him – Bella's father is the head of the Department of Defense! Does that make you care a little, Mr. Snippy?"

Emmett swore when he heard that and punched the back of the front passenger seat. "Way to go Emmett, now we have to make a pit-stop to steal a new car!" Rosalie complained.

"Yes, you do," Alice agreed. "But be careful; it won't do to have Agent Swan try to arrest you and you to hurt him. Bella wouldn't be happy about that."

"So Swan Sr. is on our tail now? How did a human like him even pick us up?"

"Well, that's your fault, Edward. You were the one who was in such a rush that you just left everything in the parking lot – Charlie Swan found it, and traced the Mercedes, and then he got your name from Black's note and deduced that you know where Bella is. Since he doesn't know about your history with The Pack (and therefore can't figured out the meeting place), he's decided following you will be easiest."

"That's certainly an inconvenience, but I don't see what there is to worry about."

Alice snorted. "Sure you don't; you're too busy worrying about Bella for anything else to register with you. Edward, Charlie read the note! You know, the one where Black mentioned you tearing out his mate's heart?!

Now Bella's father thinks you're some kind of psychotic murderer, and he plans to tail you to the warehouse in Chicago, then get his daughter back and toss your butt in federal prison for a good long while! NOW DO YOU SEE WHAT THERE IS TO WORRY ABOUT?!"

I shrugged; I had been forced to evade law enforcement before, though admittedly I'd never had someone with the entire Department of Defense at his disposal after me; but what was I supposed to do? If Charlie Swan was already after me, he would stay after me until he caught up to me or until I led him to Bella – either way I wasn't going to get rid of him, and I was not going to be sidetracked as long as the dog had my Bella.

"All right, I see your point, but the only thing that matters to me right now is rescuing Bella. As for her father wanting to arrest me, I'll jump off that bridge when I come to it." I snapped my phone shut and turned to my partners.

"Rose, Emmett, we should split up; I can't afford to be as cautious as I usually am right now, so there's a chance Charlie might catch up with me. If he does, I don't want him to think you two are my accomplices-"

"But we are," Emmett protested.

"That's not the point; the point is, if I'm headed into trouble, I don't want to drag you down with me. Believe it or not, I actually like you."

"That's touching," Rosalie snapped, "but we're not leaving you to deal with a vengeful werewolf on your own. I know you could probably handle him if it was just a fight between the two of you, but if your concentration is split between fighting him and protecting Bella, I'm afraid you'll slip up and one of you will get hurt."

"She's right, Edward; we're with you all the way on this."

I growled. "Fine, but I don't want Charlie to see you with me. We'll stop in the next city and get new cars, then we split up and you two can meet me in Chicago."

Emmett sighed loudly. "If you insist, I guess Rose and I can go along with that plan."

"Bloody well right you'll go along with the plan; I am not in the mood for arguments."

As per my plan, we parted ways after acquiring new vehicles and disposing of the old one. As I hit the road once again, I listened intently for Charlie's thoughts, trying to find out how close behind me he was. Perhaps I could have actually seen him if I had looked, but the head of the D of D would be too well-practiced in covert surveillance to be easily spotted, and I had no time for a painstaking search.

I ground my teeth in frustration; in a situation like this I would normally disappear until my pursuer lost interest, or simply kill them, and being unable to do either made me feel exposed in a way I violently disliked. With a tremendous effort, I pushed the frustration to the back of my mind and focused on my mission.

As long as I got Bella back and she was all right, whatever happened to me afterward was unimportant. I hit the accelerator and sped back onto the interstate.

**A/N: For those of you who are wondering why I invented the Department of Defense, a) this is already so AU I didn't think it would hurt to make up one more thing that's different from the books and b) I needed to give Charlie a more powerful position than Forks police chief so he could do what I've got planned for him to do. Of course you'll find out about that later, and after that you can ask me questions. Plus, what's a crime drama without a cop chase?**


	19. It Ends Tonight

**A/N: I know you guys are probably anxious to get to the 'Edward rescues Bella part', but first I have to do some about what's happened with Bella since she got kidnapped. It might seem a bit filler-ish (sorry NatNat, please don't hit me) but I think it should be in there for some reason, and the big confrontation scene needs a little stage-setting. **

_**Chapter 19: It Ends Tonight**_

**POV: Jacob**

"Why do we have to keep the bloodsucker's girl toy sedated all the time? You do realize she had a bad reaction to the drug, and it's me she puked on, don't you?"

I scowled; Quil was a great friend, but sometimes he just didn't get it. "How many times do I have to explain this to you? The leeches weren't just playing with their new toy; they were using her for something. I know you haven't forgotten that their kind can have those special freaky-ass powers, and I don't want this chick pulling any funny shit on us."

Quil's eyes widened. "You think she could have something up her sleeve? Come on, she's human."

"Yeah, she is, which is why I haven't killed her yet; but she must be some kind of special, because that Cullen S.O.B. thinks way too highly of himself to ever hook up with some random walking Happy Meal, and even if he didn't, his boss had to have a mighty good reason for letting her stay alive this long."

"Fine, you're the Alpha; whatever you say. But she's getting on my last nerve, Boss."

"Then stay away from her for a while; I'll take care of her dinner." _This should be tons of fun. Still, we can't just let her starve. She's not one of __them__, after all, so I'll try to leave her in as good condition as possible. _

I headed back inside the motel room we had left her in when we stopped for food; the girl was still in the chair she had been dumped in, slumped against the wall with her head drooping so that her long dark hair fell over her face. I noticed that someone, most likely Paul, had tied her hands behind the back of the chair and her ankles to its legs. _That was a waste of rope; she looks too out of it to try making a getaway._

She twitched and moaned when I poked her bony shoulder, so at least she hadn't blacked out again. "Hey, you. Wakey-wakey, I've got a nice grease-burger and overly salted cardboard fries for you."

The girl lifted her head but made no attempt to shake the hair out of her face; I brushed it away and saw that she had a bright purple bruise along her cheekbone. I grimaced and untied her hands so she could eat. The bruise was Paul's work, of course; ever since I snatched her, he'd been saying that I was too nice to her, that a leech-lover was no better than the monsters themselves.

For once, I actually agreed with him. In fact, there were times when I hated the vampires' human accomplices – those who willingly chose to help the revolting creatures – more than the monsters themselves; the vampires were nothing more than soulless shells of people, after all, but what was the humans' excuse?

There was no doubt that this Bella character fit perfectly into that category- in fact, she had taken it a step further than merely helping the bloodsuckers blend into the human world while carrying out whatever criminal schemes occurred to them, she had actually gotten involved with one! She was a traitor to her own species! I should despise her, but somehow I didn't – at least not totally.

I mean, it was hard to hate someone who was incredibly stupid; look down on them, sure, but not hate them – and there was no question that this girl was incredibly stupid. For one thing, she had had absolutely no clue what she was doing when she hit up (or hit on) that Jenks loser for information. Any idiot should know better than to blab as much as she had, or had no one bothered to tell her that letting slip her relationship with Cullen would make her a prime target for… well, for guys like me.

And I was definitely not the only person in the world who had an axe to grind with Edward Cullen. In fact, considering how many enemies he had, I was appalled that he had left his girlfriend human and vulnerable. _I can only think of one possible reason for that: he must have thought he could protect her from anything. Guess I proved the arrogant bastard wrong on that count!_

But Bella's lack of expertise in the info-extorting business was hardly the strongest evidence that she was intelligence-challenged. She was throwing herself away on a monster, for crying out loud! It was probably just because he was good-looking; vampires might be dead and rotten on the inside, but on the outside they didn't look at all like the monsters they really were. It probably wasn't unusual for some stupid little human to fall in love with one of them, not realizing that love would kill them.

Who knew how many times that had happened, anyway? This one was probably just the latest in a long line of girls who had been suckered, and eventually sucked dry, by that leech. All she needed was for someone to get her away from that damn parasite, and she could be a normal human again, have a real life. So really, there was a better reason than simple revenge for what I was doing: I had to kill Cullen before he ended another girl's life the way he had ended Leah's.

"Are you done yet?" I checked, and the cheeseburger I had brought Bella was only half-eaten. "Would you hurry it up already? I have other things to do besides babysit you, princess."

For the first time, the ghost of a real emotion flickered across her face- anger. "Screw you," she spat. "If you're tired of babysitting me, why don't you make your life easier and let me go? What the hell do you want from me, anyway?"

I chuckled; if she was trying to be intimidating, she was failing miserably. I had seen scarier kittens. "That's right, I haven't told you about my game plan, have I? Now, I don't usually share what I'm about to do with players on the opposite side, but I don't think it could hurt to make an exception for you, given the whole 'there's nothing you can do to stop me' factor.

See, we're right outside of Chicago, and as soon as you're done eating, we're going to take a little trip to the manufacturing district. Your boyfriend and I have a little history that started there, and he's coming to finish it. And after tonight, it will be finished – or rather, he'll be finished."

The girl's wide brown eyes got even wider as she heard what I was up to. "No! You can't do that! You-"

I put my hand over her mouth to silence her. "That's the thing, sweetheart. I can. Now it's time to go; I don't want to keep Cullen waiting – that would be rude." Laughing at her horrified expression, I untied her ankles and hauled her out to the parking lot in front of the motel.

**POV: Bella**

I tried to pull out of Jacob's hold, but it was useless; his hand was so big it covered my whole forearm, and his grip was even more unbreakable than those damn ropes that had left burning, itchy patches on my wrists.

Still, I had to try, especially now that I knew why this guy had kidnapped me- he was using me as bait for Edward! Of course Edward would come to save me, but he probably would get killed – there were six of Jacob's gang, after all, and only one of him. Plus, everyone in Jacob's gang was freakishly huge.

"All right, time to go," Jacob announced loudly. I looked around the parking lot and noticed that there were only a couple of cars parked there, and neither of them was big enough to carry all of us.

"Hey, I hope you don't I'm walking all the way into the middle of Chicago." If we were walking, maybe I could stop them if I simply refused to budge… _No, wait, that idea's stupid, they're so big that any one of them could pick me up like a sack of potatoes – which they already have. _

They all groaned, and the one who had slapped me stepped forward with a menacing growl. "Listen up, you whiny bitch, if I hear one more word out of you I swear I'm taking a pair of scissors to that sassy tongue of yours."

I clamped my jaws shut; this guy was just crazy enough to follow through on his threat. "That's better," he grunted.

One of the others, I thought his name was Jared, piped up, "Hey, Boss, why are we even taking her? She's a pain in the ass; I say we just leave her tied up in the room and go waste the bloodsucker without her."

"NO! What if the sedative wears off and she escapes, and meets up with Cullen before he makes it to the warehouse? What do we do then, eh? Just stick to the plan, and we can remove the pain from your ass after we've dealt with him. Let's hit the road; I want this over with."

With that, Jacob pulled off his T-shirt, and his friends started to do the same! _WHAT ARE THEY __DOING__?? _I covered my eyes, (which amused them greatly) but opened them when I heard some kind of animal snuffling – right next to me!

The gang had disappeared, and a pack of bear-sized wolves had taken their place! I gasped in horror and stumbled back, but was stopped by a wolf poking his wet, cold nose under my butt (_how __rude__!_) and pushing me onto the largest wolf's back. Instinctively, I grabbed a fistful of russet fur to keep myself from falling off, and then the pack was running.

_This is terrible! Not only is Edward going to be outnumbered, he's up against a pack of __werewolves__! Why can't I stop this from happening… come on, turn around, and forget about Edward! _But whatever drug they had given me hadn't completely worn off yet, and my mind-control was useless. Tears slid down my cheeks as I clung to Jacob's back; there was no way the night would end well.

**A/N: I am so very sorry this chapter took so long to write, and that there wasn't more happening in it; I ****promise**** the big rescue/fight scene will be in the next chapter, okay? Plus I wanted to cover why Bella didn't use mind-control to make the wolves let her go, 'cause I thought some people might think that didn't make sense and get confused.**

**Don't forget, tomorrow afternoon I will close my poll and let you all know if there will be a sequel or not, so check my profile in case I don't have another update ready tomorrow (I can't justify posting a new "chapter" just to tell you poll results). **


	20. Save You

**A/N: And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the one where I stop yammering and ****finally**** give you the fight scene!**

_**Chapter 20: Save You**_

**POV: Bella**

As soon as we arrived at the warehouse, the werewolves locked me inside what must have been the supervisor's office; but now the place was so old and trashed that it was obvious no one had worked here for quite some time. It also looked burned-out, like a huge fire had happened years ago. Maybe that was why it had been abandoned; I didn't really care.

All I cared about was getting out of here, though if my power didn't come back soon I wouldn't be much use anyway. Still, anything would be better than being locked up and not even knowing what was going on.

After what seemed like hours, I heard a thunderous crash, then a lot of banging around and wolves growling. It could only mean one thing – Edward was here, and he and the wolves were fighting at this very minute!

I jumped off the desk I had perched on and slammed against the door, desperate to get out. "EDWARD! THERE'S TOO MANY OF THEM FOR YOU TO FIGHT BY YOURSELF! LET ME OUT, AND WE CAN JUST GET AWAY FROM HERE!" I raised my hand to pound on the door again, but it suddenly vanished; it had been ripped away.

"Edward's busy at the moment," the door-ripper informed me, "and he's not by himself."

"You?" I stared up at the man in shock; I hadn't seen him since that fateful night outside the club, and his reappearance frightened me a little.

"Right, we haven't been introduced; I'm Emmett, and you're Bella. I'd love to get to know you better, but now isn't the time since I'm supposed to be helping Edward and Rose right now."

"Rosalie's here too?" I asked as I followed Emmett to the main part of the warehouse, the part where the machinery would have been. When we got closer, I got a whiff of smoke and a nauseating odor I couldn't place.

"Yes, Rose is here, and having fun by the smell of things." Emmett suddenly turned and gripped my shoulders hard. "Edward told me to tell you that you're to stick close to the wall and run straight for the exit, understand? I'll cover you in case any wolves make a grab for you. Have you got that?"

"What?! No, I want to help!"

"I know you do, but the wolves have done something to keep you from using your power, right? Otherwise you would have gotten away; without it, there's nothing you can do, Bella. Save yourself, okay?"

I sighed. "Fine, let's do this."

With that, we dashed out into the manufacturing center of the old building. Emmett immediately tackled the two nearest wolves, and I started to follow his instructions and get the heck out, but the scene playing itself out before my eyes froze me in place.

Rosalie had three wolves attacking her, but thanks to her flame-thrower ability they seemed hesitant to get too close, and I got the idea that their job wasn't to kill her so much as to prevent her from interfering with the other fight.

Jacob and Edward were totally focused on each other; I wasn't even sure they remembered that there was anyone else there. I watched, biting my lip, but I couldn't tell who was winning and who was losing.

They seemed to be perfectly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand (or paw): Jacob had a huge size advantage, and he had long, scythe-like claws in addition to sharp teeth, which meant he had more ways to strike at his opponent. However, Edward could read Jacob's mind, so he was able to anticipate the werewolf's moves before he made them and avoid the blows.

I felt like exploding; I wanted so badly to help Edward, but, dammit, there was nothing I could do! _What I wouldn't give to have super-strength too…_ Edward heard my thought and looked at me, away from the werewolf attacking him. "BELLA, GET OUT OF HERE!" he shouted.

Jacob took advantage of his distraction and pounced; next thing I knew they were on the ground and Edward was about a second from having wolf-teeth plunged into his throat.

I was so transfixed by horror that I didn't even register Emmett behind me until he gave me a shove that propelled me right out the door. Of course I tripped and fell, scraping my hands on the asphalt.

"Bella?! Honey, are you all right? What's happened to you?" I looked up and blinked hard to be sure I wasn't hallucinating. Edward was about to be killed by a werewolf, and my dad was here?! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!

Charlie pulled me to my feet and began inspecting me for injuries, but I had no intention of standing still while he checked me out. I realized Charlie must have heard that I had been kidnapped and trailed Edward here, and if he had come expecting to have to rescue me, he would have brought his gun, which meant that even without mind-control, there was something I could do.

I grabbed for the holster on his belt and yanked the .55 out. "Bella, what are you doing?!" Charlie exclaimed, but I didn't have time to answer him. I charged back inside the warehouse, checking the gun as I went.

_Good old Dad, always ready for action._ The gun was loaded and the safety was off; all I had to do was shoot straight, and with a father like Charlie, of course I was a darn good shot. If I was too late to help Edward, at least I would do some damage to his murderer.

As it turned out, I wasn't too late to help Edward; he was still pinned to the floor with an enraged werewolf on top of him, but he had managed to grab Jacob's snout and hold it shut so that Jacob couldn't bite him. Jacob still had claws obviously, but he had to use one front paw and both hind ones to hold Edward down while trying to use the other forepaw to pry Edward's hand off his face; it looked like Edward was too strong for that, though.

"HEY FURBALL!" Jacob turned and gave me the exasperated look a parent gives a whiny two-year-old, which only made me madder. "Yeah, you! You get the hell away from my boyfriend!"

I didn't want to kill him, just hurt him enough that he would quit attacking Edward, so I shot him in the front leg, which would only mean a busted arm when he changed back to human form. Just as I'd hoped, he howled in surprise and pain, and rolled off of Edward, who got to his feet and stared at me with a slightly insulting look of astonishment.

_DON'T GET DISTRACTED AGAIN; KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE WOLVES! _But as it turned out, there was no point for that warning; the wolves had realized that their leader was down, and they were in full retreat mode.

Jacob was turning back to a human, and I purposefully averted my eyes from that scene – I was hardly an expert on werewolf transformations, but I was pretty sure his clothes wouldn't magically reappear. His pack abandoned their tussles with Rosalie and Emmett and raced to help him instead, and the pack was gone out of a window in no time.

"That's right, you better run!" Rosalie shouted, clenching her hands to put out her flaming fingers. Edward, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to go after them. _That's__ just what we need. Let it go, Edward! _

He stopped in his tracks, and I realized that whatever drug the wolves had given me must have finally worn off. A pity it hadn't been just a couple of minutes sooner… oh well. We were all still alive, and Edward was here, with me, and I didn't care about anything else.

I ran at him and threw myself into his arms; he held me tight, and murmured, "I'm very happy to see you again, Bella; but tell me, where did you learn to shoot like that?"

"Um, my dad…"

"Ah, your father… er, would that be him, by any chance?" I looked where Edward was pointing and saw that Charlie had followed me in here, and judging by the look on his face (appropriate to having seen a ghost) he had seen way more than he should have. When he saw me staring at him, he crossed his arms and gave me a glare that clearly said I had some explaining to do.

Rosalie and Emmett took off, and Edward would have followed them and taken me with him, except that I pulled free of his grip. He looked at me like I was crazy. "I can't run off without saying anything to Charlie, Edward. He's my dad; let me sort things out with him. I mean, the way I just took off with you, something like this probably would have happened sooner or later anyway. Just… let me deal with it, okay?"

"Are you sure? I can run us out of here, and he wouldn't be able to find us again…"

I held up a finger. "No, Edward, that's not the way I work. Maybe you vampires can vanish off the face of the earth just like that when someone gets suspicious, but in case you haven't noticed, I'm human. My family is still alive, and they care about me, so I can't just do whatever I want and leave them completely out of the loop. I've been doing that way too much since we met, and it has to stop now; do you understand that?

Besides, my dad is pretty much the head of all of this country's law enforcement, if you run off with me right in front of him, we're both going to end up on the Most Wanted List. At least I can stop that from happening to you."

He nodded and turned to leave. "Hey," I called after him. "I'll let you know how it turns out, okay? Don't go too far."

"I won't," he promised, then disappeared. I sighed and trudged back to where Charlie was waiting for me; when I reached him, he pulled me into a tight hug and didn't let go for over a minute. I couldn't help wrapping my arms around him and squeezing every bit as tightly; I was happy to see my dad, but more than that, his embrace gave me a sense of safety I been missing for a while.

Since I'd first discovered the existence of vampires and my own strange power, I had felt like the world as I knew it was unraveling, or expanding into unknown and frightening dimensions, though I'd hidden these feelings around Edward. I didn't want to make him feel bad, after all.

I didn't need to hide anything from Charlie. He had already seen enough with his own eyes that he would believe anything I told him, and he would know how to handle it, because that's what he did: he listened to my problems and always came up with the perfect solution.

"So, Bella, what the hell happened tonight?" Charlie asked when I finally released my hold on him.

"Well, Dad, it's really complicated, and parts of it make me sound like a need a straitjacket and padded room, but here it is…" My explanation lasted for about half an hour by my estimation, and when I was done, Charlie had to do his I'm-trying-to-process-all-this head-shake.

"Bells, why didn't you tell me about all this sooner? To think that all this time I've thought you were just hanging out with a new boyfriend, and really you've been with a vampire gang… it eats me up that I had no idea this was happening to you."

"Dad, I'm sorry I was, if not dishonest, then certainly less than upfront with you, but you have to understand that until those werewolves kidnapped me, nothing had happened to me. Plus, if I had told you, I had a good idea that you'd try to arrest the vampires-"

Charlie cut me off. "You know that's what I have to do now, don't you?"

"But why? They haven't hurt me at all; Edward actually risked his life to save me-"

"I know that, but look at my side for a minute. When I heard you'd been kidnapped and I took off after you, I had to tell my government supervisor something, and, to make a long story less long, your boyfriend and his partners-in-crime, that muscle-man and the blonde, aren't looking too good right now."

"What are you saying?!" I jerked away from Charlie and glared at him. "They've been nothing but nice to me, and you're going to what, throw them all in jail?! They're vampires, Dad; how are they supposed to get blood and stuff? Anyway, you're the head of the freaking D of D; can't you just sweep whatever some fat old politician in Washington suspects them of doing under the rug?"

Charlie sighed. "The problem is that when I traced that Mercedes you were driving when you got kidnapped, and Edward Cullen's name came up, I ran it through the system, and it looks like he's linked to a whole bunch of unsolved cases.

No one was ever able to find sufficient evidence to try bringing him in, and no one was able to find him, but enough of the few surviving witnesses mentioned him that when I brought him up, it caused a lot of raised eyebrows. Even if I can convince everyone that those reports are full of mistakes, and bury all this from the press, I'd say it's a safe bet that he'll have to get out of dodge for some little while."

I felt as if I'd received a stunning blow to the chest, one which stopped my heart from pumping blood to my brain fast enough. I forced my mouth open so I could ask the question I needed answered. "So… when you say… 'out of dodge'… you mean…" Unable to go on, I looked up at Charlie and hoped he understood my meaning.

He nodded. "I mean out of the country, Bella. Maybe out of the continent, at least for a while."

"Out of the continent," I repeated numbly. Had I thought it was hard to be away from Edward when he was only in a different state, and I knew roughly when he would be back? How much harder when he wasn't even in the same country, and I had no idea when, or even if, I would see him again!

Charlie watched my face twist and I could tell that my pain hurt him as well. "Bella, I can't tell you how sorry I am that I was the one to let this cat out of the bag, but now that it's out, it's not going back in without a few scratches. I wish there was another way, but sometimes there really is no compromise."

"I know that."

"So now you know what has to happen with your Edward, the question is what are you going to do now?"

I shook my head; what was I going to do? I honestly didn't have a clue.

**A/N: There, finally a non-filler chapter! I hope I handled the fight scene OK, when I was imagining it everything kind of played like a film strip in my head, and I don't know how well I did writing it out so that other people could see it.**

**I'm only planning on doing one more chapter, then the epilogue, which will be short; then I'll get cracking on the sequel! Ah, the work never ends, or as my dad would say, 'no rest for the wicked'. Um, I think he means that ****I'm**** wicked (innocent shrug) now what could make him say a thing like that?**


	21. Goodbye to You

_**Chapter 21: Goodbye to You**_

**POV: Bella**

I ran my fingers through my tangled hair, trying to think of a solution to this dilemma. Charlie cleared his throat and said, "You know, Bella, I really am sorry about running your boyfriend out of the country, but maybe this is a good thing. You know, without him around you can come home, go back to college when the new semester starts, be with all your friends and… be normal again."

Looking at my dad's hopeful expression, I tried to imagine doing what he was suggesting; after all, normal human life had done just fine for me before I'd met Edward… well, almost fine. I had always felt that something was missing, and I had an idea that the something was him. Still, maybe I could give him up, for Charlie…

I could go back to school and pretend like nothing was different, like I was no different… I could quit using mind-control and maybe it would atrophy from lack of use… Mike would be ecstatic to see me again… he would probably want me back… Jessica and Lauren would be furious and most likely spread nasty rumors about me… I could be close enough to Renee to see her whenever I wanted, and I could see Charlie every time I had a break from school… and never see Edward again.

That last thought sent a wave of pain through my chest, as if I'd been stabbed through the heart. I couldn't do it. I remembered the pain I had felt every time I had been apart from Edward, and I knew I could never live with it on a daily basis with no prospect of it ending.

I shook my head slowly. "No, Dad; I can't. Dad, I- I love Edward. I don't think-" my breath caught as the tears started. I wiped my eyes hard and tried again. "Trying to go back to my old life, and not knowing when or even if I would see him again… I don't think I could stand it. I want…" I stopped, unable to say it, but Charlie read in my face what I couldn't say out loud.

"You want to go with him," Charlie said in a flat, emotionless tone. I couldn't meet his gaze; as much as it would hurt me to lose Edward, I knew it would also hurt Charlie to lose me.

"I'm sorry, Dad," I whispered to the ground. "But that is what I want. Are you going to stop me?"

**POV: Charlie**

You wouldn't believe how much I wanted to stop her, to get her away from him, even if that meant dragging her; but one look at her face told me that wasn't the way to go. Whether I liked it or not (and I definitely did not), there was something between her and this Cullen character, and it looked like breaking that bond would hurt her. What would be the point in forcing her to come home if it would only depress her?

Besides, if Cullen wanted to hurt Bella, he'd had plenty of opportunity to do so already, so I could believe he would keep her safe. _The way she talked about him, it's obvious she's happy with him. She's never really fit into the 'normal' world; maybe being with him is the best thing for her. If leaving with him is what's best for Bella, I can't stand in her way. _

I grunted with the effort of forcing out the hardest words I'd ever spoken. "And how would I do that? I'll always see you as my little girl, but the law sees you as an adult now; so I can't very well drag you home against your will, can I?"

She wasn't expecting to hear that. "What? Are you saying you're okay with this?"

I sighed in exasperation; of course I wasn't okay with this! There was nothing remotely 'okay' about the whole twisted situation. "Bella, I'm not going to pretend that I'm happy about you being in love with a vampire assassin, but if you say you're safe and happy with him, I believe you.

I know you wouldn't get involved with a guy who's really bad for you; you know yourself better than that. And if you'd be miserable without him – I want you to be happy, Bella, even if I don't agree with your way of accomplishing it."

**POV: Bella**

I launched myself at Charlie and wrapped him in a hug that would have cracked ribs if his job's requisite calisthenics hadn't built up such a hard wall of muscle around them. "Thank you so much, Dad. I can't even tell you how much this means to me."

He didn't answer; he just squeezed me extra tight, as if trying to make up for all the hugs he wouldn't be able to give me after I was gone. Finally thinking about him missing me was too much and I had to pull away. "Listen, Dad, I promise I'll see you again, one way or another. I won't be able to keep in contact for a while, obviously, but as soon as you've got the DD off Edward's trail we'll come back. I promise, okay?"

"You better," Charlie answered gruffly.

"Thanks." I really appreciated him not making this harder than it had to be. "I should go tell Edward the plan." I didn't think I could stand another minute of waiting for Dad's mask of composure to crack, and I needed to see Edward now. I had had the talk with Charlie that I needed, and I had gone without Edward as long as I could; our previous reunion had been far too short.

I ran outside and looked around but didn't see Edward anywhere. "Edward? Where are you?" There was no answer. _Edward, I explained everything to Charlie; he's not going to try shooting you. Come here; I have something I need to tell you. _

I waited another minute, but there was no indication that my thoughts hadn't just fallen into a black hole. I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see that Charlie had followed me out. "So where is Edward?" he asked.

"I don't know. I told him to stick around while I talked to you-"

Charlie snorted. "Oh yeah, I'll just bet he did that. You're too trusting, Bella. I may not know anything about vampires but I sure know a thing or two about criminals. He probably split with the other two the minute I got distracted by you." He swore under his breath.

"No! He wouldn't leave without me," I protested; having just realized my life would be unbearable without Edward, I didn't know what I would do if he had decided escaping human investigation was more important than staying with me; though of course it would be understandable if he did feel that way.

I squeezed my eyes shut in concentration and tried one more time. _Edward, if you can hear me, come here right now. _Opening my eyes, I anxiously scanned the darkness for any sign that he hadn't deserted me.

**POV: Edward**

'Don't go too far' Bella had said, so of course I hadn't; I taken a seat on the roof of the nearest gas station. I knew it would be prudent to leave while Agent Swan was too occupied to chase after me, but I couldn't leave without saying goodbye to Bella.

And I didn't doubt that I would be saying goodbye to her; now that her father was here, he would take her home with him and she would forget all about me. Frankly, I was amazed that she hadn't left me and returned to the human world long before now.

_It's for the best; what could I give her, anyway? Nothing but danger, and she deserves so much better. Of course she'll realize that once she reconnects with her father and remembers what she's been missing… _

I tuned out any thoughts I might have picked up from her or Charlie as they talked; even knowing it was coming, I had no desire to hear the realization that she was better off without me hit her, the spark of her decision to leave me and the underworld my kind inhabited behind.

I didn't know how long I sat on the roof of the Exxon station before my increasingly depressed musings were forcefully interrupted. _Edward, if you can hear me, come here right now. _It was a command, not a request, and I jumped down and ran to the source of the imperative without even thinking about what I would hear when I reached my destination.

Bella threw herself into my arms the instant she saw me. "I talked to Charlie about you," she whispered into my shirt.

My grip on her tightened convulsively. "How furious is he?"

"He's not angry – well, he is a little upset that half the unsolved crimes in his file cabinet are the work of vampires, and he's not exactly jumping for joy about you and me, either; especially not now."

"What do you mean, 'especially' not now?"

"Well, now you have to leave the country for a while, so of course Charlie's not happy that I'll be so far away-"

This didn't make any sense. I had expected her to say along the lines of 'I'll miss you, if you're ever in the U.S. again look me up and we'll go for coffee'; instead it sounded like… "Bella… what are you saying?"

She lifted her head from my chest and looked at me as if I was missing something very obvious. "I'm coming with you," she said matter-of-factly.

"You- you're what?!"

"Coming with you, of course. Don't you remember the night I found out you were a vampire? I came back because I wanted to be with you, and that's still what I want. It's what I'll always want."

"But- Charlie…"

"I told you I talked to him. He understands that I love you, and that I have to be with you; it's the only way I can live, the only way I want to live."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Sure I do; Charlie's actually a lot cooler than you're giving him credit for. He is my dad, after all."

"That wasn't what I meant, Bella."

She grinned briefly, then became serious again. "I know what you meant, and I am completely serious about everything I said. I love you, and we belong together." She rose on the tips of her toes and kissed me hard, and I automatically returned her kiss.

My emotions, which had been a chaotic mix of shock, disbelief, and tentative happiness, all disappeared at the moment Bella's lips touched mine. She might be making a crazy choice here, but I agreed with her on one thing: I loved her too, so was it really so hard to imagine that we might be meant to stay together? Wasn't that the way it was supposed to work?

I had never thought something like this would happen for me of all people, but what did I know? Just a few weeks ago I would have said a vampire could never love a human, and I was clearly wrong about that. Who was to say I wasn't wrong this time as well, and everything could work out for us?

"Could you two save that for after you leave, and I can't see you doing it?"

Bella jumped at the rough voice and hurriedly backed away from me. "Sorry, Dad," she apologized. "Um, Edward, this is my dad, Charlie. Dad-"

"I don't need an introduction." He moved closer and held out his hand. "Your reputation precedes you," he informed me, his tone making it perfectly clear that he did not like the things he had heard about me; not surprising, given the trouble my partners and I had caused humans' law enforcement in the past.

"Now, listen good, Cullen; the only reason I'm letting you go is because Bella doesn't want anything to happen to you. Well, that and the fact that I don't the human world's legal system is equipped to deal with a – what you are," he admitted ruefully.

"The thing is, I know you can't help being that, but you can control what you do, and I'm going to have to insist that you clean up your act as long as you're around my Bella. Do you understand me?" He gave me a scowl that had probably cracked several suspects in his interrogation room.

Of course I wasn't one of the 'usual' suspects and found Charlie Swan not the least bit intimidating, but considering the huge favor he was doing me, I thought it best to play along. "Yes, sir," I said, injecting my voice with the appropriate amounts of respect and apprehension.

It seemed to satisfy him. "You better; I'll be keeping an eye on you," he growled.

Bella smirked. "Don't worry; he says that to every guy I date – even the human ones. He made Mike cry the first time they met."

"I wish it had been the last time I'd met him. I'll say this for you, Cullen, you might be a weird one, but at least you seem like less of a wimp than Newton. You take care of my little girl, all right? Take her someplace nice; no more werewolves."

"I will, sir," I promised; I had every intention of ensuring that Bella never crossed paths with Black or his kind ever again.

Bella embraced her father one last time, and he returned her hug briefly before releasing her and giving her a little push toward me. _If I don't let go of her now, I don't think I ever will. _

I turned away; I couldn't bear to meet his gaze. The remorse I felt for taking this man's daughter away from him was nearly unbearable; if not for the strength of the bond between me and Bella, I never would have done it.

Bella said goodbye once more, then climbed onto my back and wrapped her arms around my neck; we had to leave quickly, and cars were too slow. "So where are we going?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but don't worry; we'll think of something."

**POV: Bella**

I twisted my head, trying to get one last glimpse of Charlie, but with Edward's speed he was already out of sight. It frightened me a little to know that everything familiar had vanished behind me, and only the unknown lay ahead, but I did have one thing I could depend on- Edward. I could deal with anything, as long as we were together.

**A/N: If you think it was OOC for Charlie to let Edward and Bella run away together, I know that, but I'm going to let you in on a little secret: I never liked Charlie's attitude toward Edward in the books, so I decided it needed a little tweaking. I hope it didn't bother you too much.**


	22. Epilogue: It's Not Over

_**Epilogue: It's Not Over**_

**POV: Jacob**

I gritted my teeth as the last of my scratches healed, the skin knitting so that no one would guess there had ever been a wound. The fractured bone in my arm from where that leech-lover had shot me, though – that would take a little longer.

_I can't believe she __helped__ them! Seriously, how dumb can one person get?_ Well, if she had chosen the vampires' side, that was just fine with me; but if I ever saw her again, she would get the same treatment as the rest of them. Hell, she might be one of them next time!

Cullen might be arrogant and cruel, but he (unlike his girlfriend) wasn't an idiot; he would learn from this experience that being human made her too vulnerable, and he would vampirize her… if she stuck with him after this. It wouldn't surprise me one bit if she decided that the immortals' world was not the place for her.

"Hey, Jake, we found the bloodsucker," Embry called. "Looks like he's skipping town – and the girl's going with him. How 'bout that?"

I smiled grimly; I was almost happy that she hadn't given up on staying with her bloodsucker- it meant I would get another crack at her the next time I caught up with him. Not that I relished the idea of killing a human, but damn my arm hurt.

_I hope those two enjoy their time together… while it lasts. I don't know if you're still close enough to hear me, Cullen, but this isn't over. No, it's not over by a long shot._

**A/N: Now that the story's finished, it's time to give a big thank-you to everyone whose feedback and encouragement kept me going, so here it is:**

**Favorites- -Pows, DevineZ, HorseyGal23, Kaname-chan12, Macyn Cullen, MeggyandHaku, MigetPanda, NatNat95, Phoenix Feather Queens, RosalieHale123, SaveTheWolvesOfLaPush, StarlightDivision, bubbly4edward, carolina 81, chenderson, cowgrl88, crimson-goth-girl, ema666, evilloverx, fluteloop22tinkjesusfreak, forevaluvinEdward, freedomofabirdswings, maggiekangaroo, maka-ama7, manarae, midnightgoddess16, moonifrui, nzchick24a, pricel, resist the temptation, runswithvamp, sweetstuff360, tsurimi, twilightaddiction17, twilightaholic92, x-brokenlies-x, xxVampirexOnxDrugsxx and xxxEVIL-TWILIGHTERxxx**

**Alerts- Amour toujours, Blackthorn89, Charli93, ColorsOfTheSky, Devine Z, EnderACullen, Eullyne, Hyper Kid007, InLoveWithEC, LadyT02k, LiVeiNGLiFe4Me, Love-Is-Dead, Miss FHorn, Nicolah, O Wingless One, ObssessiveReader09, Phoenix Feather Queens, Romance4ever, StarlightDivision, Upside down is Upside right, WakeMeUpWhenItsTimeToGoToSleep, XFrEaKyDeAkY101x, XhowtosavealifeX, bethy23, blue eyed pixie, bubbly4edward, carolina 81, childishmistake, dazz 1 ed, eamc-bmsc, elvenarya, evilangel3326, fluteloop22tinkjesusfreak, forevaluvinEdward, freedomofabirdswings, freestyler91, i luv the cute sexy vampire, i'm. dazzled., maggiekangaroo, maka-ama7, manarae, monkie-lover, moonifrui, november 21, pricel, summergirlforever, therese23, thinair, tsurimi, twilightaholic92, xxxEVIL-TWILIGHTERxxx, and yipprissy**

**A special thank-you and hug to the following people (in no order) for reviewing; I really appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think: forevaluvinEdward, pricel, thinair, XhowtosavealifeX, ema666, evilangel3326, EnderACullen, crimson-goth-girl, sweetsimplcity, Miss FHorn, maka-ama7, carolina 81, DevineZ, MigetPanda, NatNat95, MeggyandHaku, Romance4ever, StarlightDivision, Nicolah, Kaname-chan12, WakeMeUpWhenItsTimeToGoToSleep, and HorseyGal23.**

**Thanks also go to the 12 people who voted in the poll and helped me decide to do a sequel- you know who you are even though I don't. I hope I didn't forget anyone, and I hope no one's embarrassed to see their name on my thank-you lists. Readers like you guys are the reason I keep writing. **


End file.
